A social media post by a prominent Silicon Valley investor has ignited an unusual discussion among global entrepreneurs: what it would take to invest in a future Iran after the fall of the Islamic Republic.
Josh Wolfe, co-founder of Lux Capital, a New York-based venture capital firm known for backing deep-tech companies in fields such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, aerospace, and biotechnology, asked fellow investors on X whether they were prepared to deploy capital in a “free Iran” once political conditions change.
Addressing American investors, family offices, and asset managers, Wolfe urged them to begin thinking about how to support Iranian technologists and entrepreneurs when Iran is free and... opportunity is unleashed.”
The post quickly drew attention from senior figures across the technology and investment world, reflecting growing interest in frontier markets shaped by geopolitical transformation.
Among the most prominent responses came from Jeff Huber, a veteran Silicon Valley executive who previously led Google Maps and Google Ads before co-founding Triatomic Capital, an investment firm focused on infrastructure, energy transition, and advanced technologies.
Huber replied in Persian, writing simply, “Count on me,” a gesture that was widely shared among Iranian users as a sign of solidarity and intent.
Another notable response came from Michael Granoff, founder and managing partner of Maniv Mobility, an Israeli venture capital firm specializing in transportation and energy technologies.
Granoff pointed to his firm’s experience investing in the United Arab Emirates following the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states.
“We’d love to be the first to invest in a free Iranian startup,” Granoff wrote, explicitly linking potential investment in Iran to precedents set by rapid capital flows following political normalization elsewhere in the region.
The exchange also attracted responses from Iranian entrepreneurs in the diaspora, including business founders and professionals based in Canada, Australia, and Europe, many of whom offered to contribute expertise in healthcare, technology, and management during a future reconstruction phase.
While some users criticized the discussion as premature amid ongoing repression and protests inside Iran, the reaction from high-profile investors indicated a broader shift: the idea that Iran’s post-Islamic Republic future is no longer viewed solely through a political or security lens, but increasingly as a potential economic and technological opening.
Videos and eyewitness accounts received by Iran International showed security forces opening fire on protesters in several locations, most notably in Malekshahi, a city in Ilam province, where state-linked media confirmed multiple deaths following clashes.
Based on information shared with Iran International, during protests in Malekshahi at least five protesters were killed by direct fire from security forces, and around 30 others were wounded.
Footage from the city showed wounded protesters and scenes of chaos after live ammunition was used.
Overall, at least 15 protesters and one member of the security forces have been reported killed during seven days of demonstrations, according to rights group HRANA.
Iran International was able to confirm that dozens more were wounded by live fire or pellet guns, while arrests were reported across several provinces.
The unrest, initially driven by economic grievances, has increasingly taken on a political character, with protesters chanting slogans against clerical rule and the Supreme Leader, as well as calling for a return of monarchy.
Demonstrations were reported in major cities as well as smaller provincial centers, despite heavy security deployments and warnings from authorities.
In his first public remarks since the protests began, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei described participants as “rioters” and called for their suppression, signaling a hardening official stance as the unrest entered its second week.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said demonstrations, labor strikes and street protests were reported in 60 cities across 25 provinces, indicating that unrest has extended beyond major urban centers into smaller cities and surrounding areas.
The group said protest activity had taken varied forms, including at least 18 student gatherings at 15 universities.
According to HRANA, at least 582 people were arrested during the past week, a figure it described as a minimum estimate, warning that the actual number is likely higher due to reporting restrictions and security pressure.
The data showed a significant number of those detained were minors. In the southwestern city of Yasouj alone, at least 81 people were arrested, including 70 under the age of 18, HRANA said.
Arrests of teenagers aged 15 to 17 were also reported in cities including Sabzevar, Izeh, Zahedan, Isfahan and Yasouj.
HRANA said it had confirmed at least 16 deaths linked to the protests during the seven-day period, including one member of Iran’s security forces. The remaining fatalities were civilians, it said.
At least 44 protesters were wounded by live ammunition or pellet fire, according to HRANA and separate reporting by Iran International. Dozens of others were injured by beatings, tear gas or during arrests, the reports said.
HRANA warned that the death toll could rise, citing conflicting official accounts, pressure on families and severe limits on information flow.
Iranian authorities have not issued comprehensive public figures on arrests or casualties.
“A number of agitated people, enemy mercenaries, had positioned themselves behind bazaar merchants and chanted slogans against Islam, against Iran and against the Islamic Republic,” Ali Khamenei said, according to state media.
“Protest is legitimate, but protest is different from rioting,” Khamenei added. “Officials should speak with protesters. Speaking with a rioter is pointless. Rioters must be put in their place,” he said.
The comments marked Khamenei’s first public response to the latest wave of demonstrations, which have intensified amid economic strain and currency volatility.
Khamenei’s language echoed his stance during earlier nationwide protests, including the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising and demonstrations in November 2019, when security forces used lethal force to suppress unrest.
At least eight protesters have been killed so far after being shot by security forces during the current unrest, according to human rights groups. Independent organizations, including Iran Human Rights Organization, previously documented 551 deaths – among them 68 children – during the 2022 protests.
Currency crisis blamed on ‘the enemy’
Khamenei also attributed the protests to economic grievances while assigning responsibility for the currency crisis to foreign adversaries. “These gatherings were mainly by bazaar merchants,” he said, adding that sharp and unstable exchange-rate swings were “not natural” and were “the work of the enemy.”
He accused unnamed actors of exploiting merchants’ complaints to cause “damage and insecurity,” saying such actions were “unacceptable.”
The remarks came as protesters in several cities have chanted for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic and mainly voiced support for the exiled prince Reza Pahlavi.
Confrontation with ‘the enemy’
Khamenei closed by insisting the Islamic Republic would not retreat. “The enemy will not sit quietly and uses every opportunity,” he said, adding that authorities “were and will be present in the field.”
On Friday, US President Donald Trump warned that if Iranian authorities shoot peaceful protesters, the United States would act to help the people.
"If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go," Trump wrote in a message published on his Truth Social account.
Iranian officials responded with warnings toward the United States and Israel.
