Iranians have taken to the streets in at least 111 cities across the country's 31 provinces since unrest started, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said, as protests over economic woes entered their 12th day on Thursday.
Iranian state media reported the first protests in some cities in Ilam province on Wednesday evening.
Unrest erupted on December 28 when the Iranian rial fell to a record low against the US dollar. Authorities have attempted a dual approach to the protests – acknowledging the economic crisis and offering dialogue with demonstrators, while meeting more forceful displays of dissent with violence and accusing foreign powers of fuelling the protests.
The Iranian government has acknowledged the demonstrations and recognised the demands of protesters, while also warning against foreign intervention.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered security troops not to target peaceful protesters, as the death toll rose to at least 38, according to HRANA. The rights group, which relies on an activist network in Iran, has recorded dozens of incidents of security troops trying to disperse protesters with live ammunition and tear gas.
“No security action should be taken” against those protesting against economic hardship as long as they do not compromise national security, Mr Pezeshkian’s deputy Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah quoted him as saying on Wednesday, the Fars news agency reported.
“Those who take up arms are a different matter,” Mr Ghaempanah said, describing anyone who attacks police or military centres as a “rioter”.
Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned “meddlesome” remarks made by US officials about the protests, accusing Washington of attempting to incite violence and unrest.
US support for protests in Iran is not “out of concern for the Iranian people, but in line with the policy of maximum pressure”, said the ministry. It said the US stance was a “clear indication of the continuation of Washington's hostility toward Iran”.
“The Islamic Republic recognises peaceful protests and spares no effort to address the legitimate demands of the people,” said the ministry. It “stressed the importance of adopting the necessary measures to reduce economic difficulties”, but blamed the country's economic woes on the “all-out economic and financial war waged by the US against the Iranian nation through illegal and unjust sanctions”.
Iran's top cleric on Wednesday also accused the US and Israel of “hypocritically” showing sympathy and claiming to support the Iranian people.
The Secretary of Iran's Guardian Council, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, criticised US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for making “hypocritical claims of compassion” at a time when their “hands are stained with the blood” of Iranians. He also accused them of applying pressure on the Iranian people “through cruel sanctions”.
Iran’s economy has been under sustained pressure from US and international sanctions linked to its nuclear programme. The rial lost more than a third of its value against the dollar last year, while official data shows annual inflation exceeded 50 per cent last month.
Both the US and Israel have expressed support for the protests in Iran in recent days, with Washington threatening to intervene if Tehran suppressed demonstrations.
Last week Mr Trump warned: “We’re watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the US.”
Mr Netanyahu expressed solidarity with protesters while opposition leader Yair Lapid said the “regime in Iran should pay close attention to what is happening in Venezuela”.
Former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo last week claimed that Israel’s spy agency is operating inside Iran. “The Iranian regime is in trouble. Bringing in mercenaries is its last best hope,” Mr Pompeo wrote on X. “Happy New Year to every Iranian in the streets. Also to every Mossad agent walking beside them.”
Hundreds of Mossad agents were involved in Israel’s 12-day war in June, during which the US also attacked Tehran's nuclear sites.
Iran's top judge has warned protesters: “From now on, there will be no leniency for whoever helps the enemy against the Islamic Republic and the calm of the people.”
“Following announcements by Israel and the US President, there is no excuse for those coming to the streets for riots and unrest,” Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei was quoted as saying by state media on Wednesday.
