On the evening of January 9, new mass protests took place in Iran. In response, the government decided to shut down the internet, suspend some flights, and restrict international calls, according to Reuters sources.
In video recordings confirmed by AFP, protesters in the northern part of Tehran, in the Saadatabad area, can be seen banging pots and shouting slogans such as "Death to Khamenei," referring to the country's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to Deutsche Welle, authorities are tightening control in Tehran. Checkpoints with armed security forces carrying Kalashnikovs have been established every 10 meters on key highways in the capital, as reported by the student bulletin "Amirkabir."
Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani also shared information about the consequences of the protests that occurred on the night of January 9. He stated that as a result of the riots, more than 50 banks and several government institutions were burned, as well as over 30 mosques.
The human rights organization Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) reports overcrowded hospitals in Tehran, Mashhad, and Karaj, where injured demonstrators are located. According to the human rights agency HRANA, at least 62 people have died during the protests, including 14 security personnel and 48 protesters, and 2,300 demonstrators have been detained.
On Friday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, stated in a televised address that the protesters are merely trying to please U.S. President Donald Trump.
"A group of vandals from Tehran and other places has taken to the streets and is ravaging their own country just to please the U.S. president," Khamenei said. "Inexperienced and irresponsible people believe him and act on his orders. They are setting fire to trash bins to please him."
"Everyone must understand," Khamenei continued, "that the Islamic Republic was created through the blood of hundreds of thousands of noble people and will not retreat before those who reject it."
Amir Saeed Iravani, Iran's ambassador to the UN, also accused Washington and Israel of "destabilizing actions" and of "turning peaceful protests into acts of violence," according to Reuters.
U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated during a radio interview his readiness to strike against the Iranian authorities, although he did not specify how this would be done.
"I told them that if they start killing people, as usually happens during riots, we will respond strongly," Trump noted on Thursday.
Last weekend, he also expressed his willingness to support the protesters if the authorities begin to use violence against them.
Reza Pahlavi, the son of the overthrown Shah of Iran in 1979, called on Trump to intervene in the situation in the country. He wrote on social media X: "Mr. President, I urgently urge you to pay attention to the situation, provide support, and take action."
"I called on people to go out into the streets and fight for freedom, and simply with their numbers to suppress the security forces," Pahlavi added. "In an hour, people will go out into the streets again. I ask you for help."
The protests, which began on December 28 at the Tehran bazaar, are now in their 13th day. Initially, they were joined by traders and students dissatisfied with the authorities' actions amid a sharp decline in the national currency and rising prices. The head of Iran's Central Bank, Mohammad Farzin, resigned shortly after the protests began. Over time, economic demands transformed into political ones.
The last similar unrest in Iran occurred three years ago, after the death of Mahsa Amini, who was detained by the morality police. At that time, the country experienced the largest wave of protests since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
