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Iranian state media says dozens of security forces killed demonstrations in the country hit by sanctions against a serious economic crisis, the speaker of Parliament having warned the United States and Israel of reprisals if Washington attacked the Islamic Republic.
State television reported Sunday that 30 police and security forces were killed in Isfahan province, while the commander of special units of the Law Enforcement Command said eight security forces were killed on January 8 and 9 during operations to quell riots in several cities. The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday that 109 members of the security forces had been killed during protests across the country.
The Iranian Red Crescent, meanwhile, said a member of its team died in an attack on one of its relief buildings in Gorgan, the capital of Golestan province.
The reported figures come as Iranian authorities step up efforts to crack down on the biggest events For years, thousands of people have taken to the streets in anger over the soaring cost of living and inflation.
The Interior Ministry said the “riots” were gradually easing while the attorney general warned that those involved in the unrest could face the death penalty.
Trump’s threats
Speaking in Parliament on Sunday after US President Donald Trump’s threats of military strikes, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned the United States against “miscalculating”.
“Let us be clear: in the event of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories (Israel) as well as all US bases and ships will be our legitimate target,” said Qalibaf, former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Tohid Said Sabaf’s comments are “a new level of escalation, at least rhetorically.”
Some lawmakers reportedly rushed to the stage of the Iranian Parliament shouting: “Death to America!” »
Asadi said authorities are “trying to draw a line between protesters and what they call rioters, or what Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called saboteurs.”
“They say they understand the situation and the complexities related to the economic difficulties that people are facing,” he said, adding that Qalibaf had recognized people’s right to take part in the protests in his remarks earlier in the day.
Trump said Saturday the United States was “ready to help” as protesters in Iran faced increasing crackdowns by authorities.
“Iran is looking toward FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The United States is ready to help!!!” Trump said in a social post on Truth Social, without elaborating.
His comments came a day after he said Iran was in “great difficulty” and again warned he could order strikes.
“That doesn’t mean we have to put troops on the ground, but it does mean hitting them very, very hard – where it hurts,” the US president said.
Meanwhile, a national campaign close of Internet in Iran remains in place and now lasts more than 60 hours, according to monitor Netblocks.
“The censorship measure presents a direct threat to the security and well-being of Iranians at a key moment for the country’s future,” he said on Sunday, adding that the power outage “now exceeded the 60-hour mark.”
Army warning
Iran’s police chief, Ahmad-Reza Rada, told state media on Sunday that the level of confrontation with rioters had intensified.
The Iranian army said On Saturday, he would defend the country’s “national interests” by accusing Israel and “hostile terrorist groups” of seeking to “undermine the country’s public security” amid a growing protest movement.
“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,” he said.
THE demonstrations since the end of December are the largest in Iran since a 2022-2023 protest movement sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Aminiwho had been arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.
Human rights groups have called for restraint amid reports of casualties and mass arrests linked to the protests. The Iranian NGO Human Rights, based in Norway, says at least 51 protesters, including nine children, were killed by security forces and hundreds more were injured.
