Protests in Iran spark swift crackdown as US calls on Tehran to respect

Tehran — Iran’s attorney general said Wednesday that the economic protests that have gripped the country were legitimate but warned that any attempt to create insecurity would be met with a “decisive response,” as the Islamic Republic’s rulers sought 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 started by merchants in the capital, Tehran, and 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 find a legal, proportionate and decisive response,” Movahedi-Azad warned.

His comments came days after Israel’s 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. By posting on its Persian-language X account, the spy agency encouraged Iranians to “take to the streets together.”

In a post shared through 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 repression,” the US government said in the publication.

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

The protests come amid rising tension between the United States and Iran after President Trump said he had heardafter a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Iran could be trying to rebuild its nuclear program following the unprecedented US attacks on its enrichment facilities in June. Trump warned that if Iran tried to rebuild, “we will take them down. We will beat them down. But let’s hope that doesn’t happen.”

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

The protests, fueled by discontent over Iran’s economic stagnation and rampant hyperinflation, began Sunday in Tehran’s largest mobile phone market, where traders closed shop. They gained momentum until Tuesday, and were joined by students from 10 universities in the capital and other cities, including Iran’s most prestigious institutions.

However, the protests remain limited in number and concentrated in central Tehran, with shops in the rest of the sprawling metropolis of 10 million people unaffected. And the government appeared to be cracking down on the unrest, both on the streets with a heavy security presence, and by declaring a last-minute holiday to cause schools and businesses to close.

Iran’s economy has been stagnant for years, with Strong US and international sanctions. about Tehran’s nuclear program that weighs heavily on it. The currency, the rial, has also plummeted 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 marched through the streets, while others show security forces using tear gas and allegedly live ammunition. News themezone has not been able to independently verify the video clips posted online, some of which show heavily armed security forces appearing to detain several people, including students, and others in which apparent gunshots can be heard.

The Guild Council of Tehran University said six students were detained but later released. There were unconfirmed reports that at least one student was seriously injured during a clash with security services in Tehran.

A last minute vacation

The streets of Tehran were quiet early Wednesday, a change from the usual chaotic and choking traffic, after authorities announced a national holiday just a day in advance. Many schools, banks and public institutions closed, and officials said the directive was due to cold weather and the need to save energy.

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

Authorities did not link the bank holiday to the protests. Tehran is experiencing daytime temperatures near freezing, which is not unusual this time of year.

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

Iran is no stranger to nationwide protests, but the latest demonstrations have not come close to the last major outbreak of 2022, which was sparked by the Death in police custody of Mahsa Aminia young Iranian woman.

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 launched a dramatic crackdown in response and arrested hundreds of people.

There were also widespread protests in 2019, sparked by a sharp rise in the price of oil.