Iran protests spark rapid crackdown as US calls on Tehran to respect ‘rights of Iranian people’

Tehran — Iran’s attorney general said Wednesday that the economic protests gripping the country were legitimate, but he warned that any attempt to create insecurity would draw a “decisive response” as the Islamic Republic’s leaders tried to quell a fourth day of unrest.

“Peaceful protests for livelihoods are part of social and understandable realities,” Mohammad Movahedi-Azad told state media after protests launched by traders in the capital Tehran, joined by students and others in several cities across the country.

“Any attempt to turn economic protests into a tool of insecurity, destruction of public property or implementation of externally designed scenarios will inevitably be met with a legal, proportionate and decisive response,” Movahedi-Azad warned.

His comments came days after the Mossad intelligence agency IranIsrael’s archenemy Israel posted on social media that it was “with you on the ground” in a message to Iranian protesters. Posting on its Persian-language X account, the spy agency encouraged Iranians to “go out together in the streets.”

In a message shared via its own Farsi-language account on

“Demanding basic rights is not a crime. The Islamic Republic must respect the rights of the Iranian people and end the repression,” the US government said in its message.

“First the bazaars. Then the students. Now the whole country. Iranians are united. Different lives, one demand: respect our voices and our rights,” the State Department said in a later message.

Protests come amid growing tensions between the United States and Iran after the president’s announcement Trump said he heardafter a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Iran could attempt to rebuild its nuclear program following unprecedented US strikes on its enrichment facilities in June. Mr. Trump warned that if Iran tried to rebuild, “we will knock them down. We will knock them out of harm’s way. But I hope that doesn’t happen.”

Tuesday, The Iranian president said Tehran would respond “to any cruel aggression” with unspecified “harsh and discouraging” measures.

The protests, driven by discontent with Iran’s economic stagnation and rampant hyperinflation, began on Sunday at Tehran’s largest mobile phone market, where traders closed their doors. They gained momentum until Tuesday, with the participation of students from 10 universities in the capital and other cities, including Iran’s most prestigious institutions.

Nonetheless, protests remain limited in number and concentrated in central Tehran, with shops elsewhere in the sprawling metropolis of 10 million unaffected. And the government appeared to quell the unrest, both on the streets with a heavy security presence, and by declaring a last-minute holiday to force the closure of schools and businesses.

The Iranian economy has been in the doldrums for years, with heavy American and international sanctions because Tehran’s nuclear program weighs heavily on it. The currency, the rial, has also plunged in recent months, losing more than a third of its value against the US dollar since last year.

Videos posted on social media show crowds chanting anti-government slogans as they march through the streets, while others show security forces using tear gas and, reportedly, live ammunition. CBS News was unable to independently verify the video clips posted online, some of which show heavily armed security forces appearing to arrest several people, including students, and others in which apparent gunshots can be heard.

The Tehran University Corporation Council said six students were arrested and later released. There are unconfirmed reports that at least one student was seriously injured in a clash with security services in Tehran.

Last minute vacation

Tehran’s streets were quiet early Wednesday, a change from the usual chaotic and stifling traffic, after authorities announced a national holiday with just a day’s notice. Many schools, banks and public institutions were closed, with officials saying the directive was due to the cold and the need to conserve energy.

The capital’s prestigious Beheshti and Allameh Tabataba’i universities announced that classes would be held online throughout the next week for the same reason, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Authorities have not linked the holiday to the protests. Tehran experiences daytime temperatures near freezing, which is not unusual for this time of year.

Weekends in Iran begin on Thursday, while this Saturday marks a long-standing national holiday.

Iran is no stranger to nationwide protests, but the latest protests fall far short of the last major outbreak of 2022, sparked by the death in police custody of Mahsa Aminia young Iranian girl.

Her death in custody after being arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women sparked a wave of anger across the country. Several hundred people were killed, including dozens of members of the security forces, who responded with a spectacular crackdown, arresting hundreds of people.

Numerous protests also took place in 2019, triggered by a sharp rise in gasoline prices.