January 10, 2026
In a statement published by semi-official news sites, the military on Saturday accused Israel and “hostile terrorist groups” of seeking to “undermine the country’s public security”.
“The Army, under the command of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, together with other armed forces, in addition to monitoring enemy movements in the region, will resolutely protect and safeguard national interests, the country’s strategic infrastructure, and public property,” it said.
Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – which operates separately from the army – also warned on Saturday that safeguarding the 1979 revolution’s achievements and the country’s security was a “red line”, state TV reported.
The unrest continued overnight on Saturday, with state media blaming “rioters” for setting a municipal building on fire in Karaj, west of Tehran, the Reuters news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Iran’s attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, on Saturday warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God”, a death-penalty charge, state television reported.
The Tasnim news agency also said at least 100 “armed rioters” have been arrested.
Press TV broadcast footage of funerals of members of the Iranian security forces it said were killed in protests in the cities of Shiraz, Qom and Hamedan, Reuters said.
Videos published by Persian-language television channels based outside of Iran showed large numbers of people taking part in new protests in the eastern city of Mashhad and Tabriz in the north.
US, Iran trade barbs
Earlier on Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated Washington’s support for the people of Iran after the Iranian authorities cut off internet access as they sought to curb the protests.
“The United States supports the brave people of Iran,” Rubio wrote on X.
The post came hours after Trump issued a new warning to Iran’s leaders, saying, “You better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting too.”
Trump said it looked like Iran’s leaders were “in big trouble” and repeated an earlier threat of military attacks if peaceful protesters were killed. “It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago,” he said.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday called the demonstrators “vandals” and “saboteurs”.
In a speech broadcast on Press TV, Khamenei said Trump’s hands “are stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians”, in apparent reference to Israel’s attacks on Iran in June, which the US supported and joined with strikes of its own.
Khamenei predicted the “arrogant” US leader would be “overthrown” like the imperial dynasty that ruled Iran up to the 1979 revolution.
“Everyone knows the Islamic republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honourable people; it will not back down in the face of saboteurs,” he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, on a visit to Lebanon on Friday, accused the US and Israel of “directly intervening” to try to “transform the peaceful protests into divisive and violent ones” – claims a US Department of State spokesperson called “delusional”.
‘Different approaches’
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said the protests have been growing in the capital, Tehran, and other cities.
“[The protests] started sporadically, but over the past two-three days, we have been witnessing more and more protests, specifically in the capital,” he said, adding that the demonstrations “flared up into violence in many streets” in Tehran on Thursday.
He said the state is trying to control the situation “with different approaches” such as tightening security measures and introducing a new subsidy scheme for citizens.
But Mehran Kamrava, a professor of government at Georgetown University Qatar, said that the subsidy would do little to stem public frustrations over soaring costs of living.
“The inflation rate is at 42 percent, according to the government. Unofficially, it’s closer to 60 percent. So it doesn’t seem as if this kind of measure is going to alleviate any sort of economic pressure on the population,” Kamrava told Al Jazeera.
The demonstrations are the largest in Iran since a 2022-2023 protest movement spurred by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.
Rights groups and foreign governments have urged the Iranian authorities to respect the right to peaceful protest and refrain from using excessive force against demonstrators.
Amnesty International said a “blanket internet shutdown” imposed this week aims to “hide the true extent of the grave human rights violations and crimes under international law they are carrying out to crush” the protests.
Meanwhile, the US-based son of Iran’s deposed shah has urged Iranians to stage more targeted protests, with the aim of taking and then holding city centres.
“Our goal is no longer just to take to the streets. The goal is to prepare to seize and hold city centres,” Reza Pahlavi said in a video message on social media, urging more protests on Saturday and Sunday.
Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights has said at least 51 protesters, including nine children, have been killed by security forces, and hundreds more injured.
Iran’s elite IRGC, which
operates separately from army, also says safeguarding country’s security is a ‘red line’.
In a statement published by semi-official news sites, the military on Saturday accused Israel and “hostile terrorist groups” of seeking to “undermine the country’s public security”.
“The Army, under the command of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, together with other armed forces, in addition to monitoring enemy movements in the region, will resolutely protect and safeguard national interests, the country’s strategic infrastructure, and public property,” it said.
Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – which operates separately from the army – also warned on Saturday that safeguarding the 1979 revolution’s achievements and the country’s security was a “red line”, state TV reported.
The unrest continued overnight on Saturday, with state media blaming “rioters” for setting a municipal building on fire in Karaj, west of Tehran, the Reuters news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Iran’s attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, on Saturday warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God”, a death-penalty charge, state television reported.
The Tasnim news agency also said at least 100 “armed rioters” have been arrested.
Press TV broadcast footage of funerals of members of the Iranian security forces it said were killed in protests in the cities of Shiraz, Qom and Hamedan, Reuters said.
Videos published by Persian-language television channels based outside of Iran showed large numbers of people taking part in new protests in the eastern city of Mashhad and Tabriz in the north.
US, Iran trade barbs
Earlier on Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated Washington’s support for the people of Iran after the Iranian authorities cut off internet access as they sought to curb the protests.
“The United States supports the brave people of Iran,” Rubio wrote on X.
The post came hours after Trump issued a new warning to Iran’s leaders, saying, “You better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting too.”
Trump said it looked like Iran’s leaders were “in big trouble” and repeated an earlier threat of military attacks if peaceful protesters were killed. “It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago,” he said.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday called the demonstrators “vandals” and “saboteurs”.
In a speech broadcast on Press TV, Khamenei said Trump’s hands “are stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians”, in apparent reference to Israel’s attacks on Iran in June, which the US supported and joined with strikes of its own.
Khamenei predicted the “arrogant” US leader would be “overthrown” like the imperial dynasty that ruled Iran up to the 1979 revolution.
“Everyone knows the Islamic republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honourable people; it will not back down in the face of saboteurs,” he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, on a visit to Lebanon on Friday, accused the US and Israel of “directly intervening” to try to “transform the peaceful protests into divisive and violent ones” – claims a US Department of State spokesperson called “delusional”.
‘Different approaches’
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said the protests have been growing in the capital, Tehran, and other cities.
“[The protests] started sporadically, but over the past two-three days, we have been witnessing more and more protests, specifically in the capital,” he said, adding that the demonstrations “flared up into violence in many streets” in Tehran on Thursday.
He said the state is trying to control the situation “with different approaches” such as tightening security measures and introducing a new subsidy scheme for citizens.
But Mehran Kamrava, a professor of government at Georgetown University Qatar, said that the subsidy would do little to stem public frustrations over soaring costs of living.
“The inflation rate is at 42 percent, according to the government. Unofficially, it’s closer to 60 percent. So it doesn’t seem as if this kind of measure is going to alleviate any sort of economic pressure on the population,” Kamrava told Al Jazeera.
The demonstrations are the largest in Iran since a 2022-2023 protest movement spurred by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.
Rights groups and foreign governments have urged the Iranian authorities to respect the right to peaceful protest and refrain from using excessive force against demonstrators.
Amnesty International said a “blanket internet shutdown” imposed this week aims to “hide the true extent of the grave human rights violations and crimes under international law they are carrying out to crush” the protests.
Meanwhile, the US-based son of Iran’s deposed shah has urged Iranians to stage more targeted protests, with the aim of taking and then holding city centres.
“Our goal is no longer just to take to the streets. The goal is to prepare to seize and hold city centres,” Reza Pahlavi said in a video message on social media, urging more protests on Saturday and Sunday.
Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights has said at least 51 protesters, including nine children, have been killed by security forces, and hundreds more injured.
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