Iran warns army may intervene as protests persist
Shafaq News– Tehran
Iran warned on Saturday that its army could intervene if security deteriorates amid ongoing protests, accusing the United States and Israel of stoking the unrest.
According to Iranian media, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, cautioned that “rioters” were seeking to spark internal conflict to pave the way for foreign intervention.
Iran’s adversaries, he added, had failed to mobilize mass protests during the country’s 12-day war with Israel in June 2025, and were now attempting to erode public solidarity instead.
His remarks came as Iranian state television reported that two security personnel and the son of a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander were killed during unrest in the southwestern province of Khuzestan and in northeastern Khorasan, without providing further details.
Protests that began on December 28 have persisted amid mounting economic pressure after a sharp fall in the rial drove up prices. Larijani acknowledged economic problems but described some demonstrators as “semi-terrorist groups,” accusing them of targeting state institutions, security facilities, and religious symbols.
Read more: Trader protests reshape Iran’s crisis while US signals grow sharper
Iranian authorities have not released official casualty or arrest figures, though the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has reported demonstrations at nearly 300 locations across 111 cities in all 31 provinces, leaving at least 50 people dead, including police officers, and more than 2,200 arrested.
Read more: Iran’s protests between economic crisis and political contestation
