2026-01-03T11:15:29+00:00
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Shafaq News– Tehran
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud
Pezeshkian said on Saturday that the wave of protests spreading across Iran is
rooted in economic pressure, most notably currency instability, while accusing
foreign actors of exploiting the unrest for political ends.
Speaking at a public gathering, Khamenei said
demonstrations involving bazaar merchants reflected “real and correct”
grievances driven by the sharp devaluation of the national currency and ongoing
volatility in foreign exchange markets. He described bazaar traders as among
“the most loyal segments of society,” arguing that their protests stemmed from
economic distress rather than opposition to the Islamic Republic. “Officials
were aware of the problem and were working to stabilize the market,” he said, attributing
the recent surge in foreign currency prices to “the enemy’s work” and calling
the fluctuations “unnatural” and the result of external interference.
Khamenei distinguished between peaceful protest
and violence, saying demonstrations should be addressed through dialogue, while
warning that unrest fueled by “incited individuals and enemy agents” would not
be tolerated. “We must be aware of the soft war,” he added.
President Pezeshkian, focusing on economic
grievances as the main reason for the protests, pledged direct outreach to
professional groups affected by inflation and currency depreciation. He said
the government would make “maximum efforts” to limit harm to traders and
workers, and confirmed plans to establish a special operations room to address
sector-specific complaints, alongside continuous engagement with producers and
business owners.
Pezeshkian also warned against attempts by
“hostile external parties” to provoke unrest, saying authorities would not
allow foreign-backed agendas to gain traction.
According to Iranian police, protests entered
their sixth day on Saturday and had spread to at least 25 cities, particularly
in western and southwestern provinces. Iranian media reported that a Basij
member, Ali Azizi, was killed during clashes in western Iran on Friday after
being stabbed and shot.
Since shopkeepers in Tehran first shuttered
their businesses on Sunday, at least seven people have been killed and 44
arrested, according to official figures.
Iran’s previous responses to public unrest have
often involved lethal force. This time, despite isolated clashes between
protesters and security forces, Pezeshkian’s government has so far refrained
from a sweeping crackdown and has signaled readiness to hear what it calls the
“legitimate demands” of demonstrators. As part of efforts to calm markets, the
government appointed a new central bank governor on Wednesday. Abdolnaser
Hemmati said he would prioritize restoring economic stability after the rial’s
dramatic collapse. Separately, the Ministry of Higher Education on Tuesday
removed campus security managers from the University of Tehran and two other
major universities, with local media citing “misconduct and failure to properly
handle recent student protests.”
لقاء عائلات شهداء الاقتدار مع الإمام الخامنئي |بمناسبة 13 رجب، الذكرى المباركة لميلاد الإمام علي (ع)، وبالتزامن مع ذكرى استشهاد قادة النصر، عُقد صباح اليوم، في حسينية الإمام الخميني (قده)، لقاء عائلات الشهيد سليماني ورفاقه، وجمع من عائلات شهداء الاقتدار، مع الإمام الخامنئي. pic.twitter.com/v1tPNxabQL
— موقع الإمام الخامنئي (@site_khamenei) January 3, 2026
The demonstrations initially erupted over rising
living costs and currency depreciation before expanding to political demands.
Inflation remains elevated, with official data placing annual inflation at
about 52 percent in December, while prices of basic goods have climbed even
faster. Despite public-sector closures attributed to cold weather and energy
conservation, protests continued in several areas, including parts of Tehran,
where videos circulating online showed chants blending economic and political grievances.
International reactions have added to the pressure.
Iranian protesters in Kazeroun, Fars province, took to the streets on Saturday, chanting anti-government and pro-Pahlavi slogans, according to videos sent to Iran International.pic.twitter.com/eCQYnJZHOq
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) January 3, 2026
US President Donald Trump warned that Washington
would intervene if live fire were used against demonstrators, comments Tehran
described as “unacceptable and inflammatory.” Israeli figures, including former
prime minister Naftali Bennett, publicly encouraged the protesters. This week, Axios
reported that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed
further strikes on Iran, including the possibility of targeting Tehran’s
Lebanese ally Hezbollah.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also posted
pre-revolutionary Iranian imagery on its Farsi social media account, showing a
lion and sun emblem with the lion’s paw resting on an hourglass bearing Iran’s
current flag. The caption read: “The rise of Iranian lions and lionesses to
fight against darkness… Light triumphs over darkness.”
Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last shah overthrown
in the 1979 revolution, called for escalation, urging “protests in the
capital,” a “massive presence of people in Tehran,” and the establishment of
barricades on major roads.
President Trump, thank you for your strong leadership and support of my compatriots. This warning you have issued to the criminal leaders of the Islamic Republic gives my people greater strength and hope—hope that, at last, a President of the United States is standing firmly by… https://t.co/1H12Z77uCE pic.twitter.com/G3TyrkJTy6
— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) January 2, 2026
The scale of the current unrest has revived
memories of the 2022 protests following the death in custody of 22-year-old
Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly violating dress codes. Those
demonstrations, among the largest in the Islamic Republic’s history, began
after her funeral in Saqqez and spread nationwide. According to rights groups,
at least 500 people were killed as security forces used mass arrests, tear gas,
and live ammunition. A 2024 investigation by United Nations experts concluded
that the government’s response amounted to “crimes against humanity,” a finding
Iranian authorities rejected as “false” and “biased.”
The morality police were briefly suspended in
December 2022 before being reinstated the following year, though enforcement
has since been looser, even as many women continue to fear a renewed crackdown.
