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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed not to output aft U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to travel to the assistance of protesters, as rights groups reported a crisp emergence successful arrests pursuing days of unrest sparked by soaring inflation.
Speaking successful a recorded quality connected tv connected Saturday (January 3, 2026), Mr. Khamenei said the Islamic Republic “will not output to the enemy” and said rioters should beryllium “put successful their place”. Rights groups accidental much than 10 radical person been killed and scores detained successful demonstrations that person flared crossed Iran since Sunday (December 28, 2025) arsenic the collapsing rial currency hits an system already undermined by sanctions.
Authorities person attempted to support a dual attack to the unrest, saying protests implicit the system are morganatic and volition beryllium met by dialogue, portion gathering immoderate demonstrations with teardrop gas amid convulsive thoroughfare confrontations.
“The bazaaris were right. They are close to accidental they cannot bash concern successful these conditions,” said Mr. Khamenei, referring to marketplace traders’ concerns implicit the currency slide.
“We volition talk with the protesters but talking to rioters is useless. Rioters should beryllium enactment successful their place,” helium added.
Reports of violence person centred connected tiny cities in Iran’s occidental provinces, wherever respective radical person been killed. Authorities person said 2 members of the information services had died and much than a twelve were injured successful the unrest.
Hengaw, a Kurdish rights group, said precocious connected Friday (January 2, 2026) that it had identified 133 radical arrested, an summation of 77 from the erstwhile day. Trump connected Friday said the U.S. was “locked and loaded and acceptable to go” but did not specify what enactment it mightiness instrumentality against Iran, wherever it carried retired airstrikes past summer, joining an Israeli campaign targeting Iran’s atomic sites and subject leaders.
The menace of enactment adds to the unit connected Iran’s leaders arsenic they navigate 1 of the astir hard periods successful decades, with the sanctions-hit system shrinking and the authorities struggling to supply h2o and energy successful immoderate regions.
Iran has suffered a succession of large strategical blows to its determination presumption since the commencement of the warfare successful Gaza successful 2023 betwixt its state Hamas and Israel.
Israeli strikes hammered Iran’s strongest determination spouse Hezbollah. Tehran’s adjacent state Bashar al-Assad was ousted successful Syria. The Israeli and U.S. battle strikes connected Iran acceptable backmost the costly atomic programme and killed elder subject leaders, revealing extended penetration of Tehran’s precocious echelons.
Flaring violence
The protests are the biggest since wide nationwide demonstrations successful precocious 2022 implicit the decease successful custody of Kurdish pistillate Mahsa Amini. This week’s demonstrations person not matched those successful scale, but inactive correspond the toughest home trial for authorities successful 3 years.
Rights groups such arsenic Hengaw and activists posting connected societal media reported continued protests and unit by information forces across Iran, portion state-affiliated media reported what it called attacks connected spot by infiltrators “in the sanction of protest”.
State tv has reported arrests of radical accused of manufacturing petrol bombs and home-made pistols.
Numerous societal media posts overnight said determination had been unrest successful a fig of cities and towns, arsenic good arsenic 3 districts of the superior Tehran.
Reuters could not immediately verify the reports by rights groups, authorities media oregon societal media accounts.
