Iran’s foreign minister said the country is “not seeking war, but is fully prepared for war” as he warned adversaries not to intervene in what has become a bloody crackdown on anti-government dissidents.
Yesterday’s caution from Abbas Araghchi came after President Trump threatened “strong action” against the Islamic Republic for killing what one Tehran official claims as approximately 2,000 people, with 10,000 arrested.
Despite plunging Iran into an internet blackout on Thursday, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei continues to face challenges to his rule.
It comes after a turbulent year for the Supreme Leader who faced a 12-day conflict with Israel which led to the eventual involvement of the US. The conflict targeted many senior officials including military leaders. Israel’s war in Gaza and attempts to disarm Hezbollah have also meant Iran’s proxies are being weakened leaving it in a precarious position.
Image: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump at the end of their meeting at Mar-a-Lago – Amos Ben Gershom / GPO
Videos trickling out of the country show protesters burning government buildings and chanting “death to the dictator,” while support for Iranian resistance is swelling globally.
The European Parliament banned the country’s diplomats yesterday, with the organisation’s President, Roberta Metsola, saying:
“This House will not aid in legitimising this regime that has sustained itself through torture, repression and murder.”
Iranians in the diaspora have also taken to the streets in large numbers to show solidarity with those under fire in Iran.
On Sunday, thousands assembled outside Downing Street, while a day earlier, a man removed the Islamic Republic’s flag from Iran’s London embassy and raised the old monarchic banner in its place.
So how did we get here?
The anti-regime protests erupted in Tehran 17 days ago in response to a major crash of the Iranian rial, as shopkeepers took to the streets to demonstrate against inflation and rising food prices.
They were soon joined by thousands of people calling for an end to the Islamic Republic and the return of the exiled prince Reza Pahvali, whose family was deposed in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
As calls for change spread nationwide, the first official fatalities were reported on January 1, with at least six people killed in Azna, Lorestan province.
Videos filmed outside a police station in the city capture the sound of gunfire echoing through the streets after protesters fled being fired upon by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Responding to the violence, Trump took to Truth Social to say that if Iran “kills peaceful protesters”, the United States “will come to their rescue.”
Image: President Trump at a roundtable event alongside Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio – The White House / Molly Riley
Seemingly emboldened by the superpower’s support, protests quickly grew and reached more than 100 locations across Iran as Khamenei called on crowds to stop “ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy.”
With dissidents branded as “terrorist agents” from Israel and America, security authorities from the IRGC have acted with lethal force to try and regain control.
Speaking to the Guardian, Mahsa, a 28-year-old journalist from Mashhad, said on Thursday:
“They’re charging at crowds in vans and bikes. I have seen them slowing down and deliberately shooting at people’s faces.
“Many have been injured. The streets are full of blood. I fear I am about to witness a sea of dead people.”
Despite the aggressive tactics being used by Khamenei’s security forces, Iranian’s continue to flood the streets and burn images of the ayatollah, in some instances using his picture to light their cigarettes.
Support Grows from Outside of Iran
Invigorated by the idea of revolution, protesters have also been bolstered by messages from the exiled prince, Reza Pahlavi.
From his home in Washington DC, the son of the last toppled shah called for resisters to shout from their balconies on January 8 and demonstrate against the regime.
Gauging whether his influence would take root in the politically volatile nation, the prince had his call answered by thousands, as he rattled the current administration enough that internet connection within the country was severed.
He has since encouraged workers in Iran’s transportation, oil, gas and energy industries to strike, as he seeks to weaken Khamenei’s power over the state.
In a post on X he said: “Our goal is no longer merely to come into the streets. The goal is to prepare to seize city centres and hold them.”
Yet the regime has refused to admit any threat of instability posed by Pahlavi, as yesterday they held a pro-government rally in Tehran that was attended by tens of thousands.
Projecting an air of normalcy, Iran’s foreign minister claimed that the protests had “come under total control” as he addressed foreign diplomats.
Image: Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in the Middle East reviewing the UK’s aid response to the conflict in Gaza – FCDO / Ben Dance
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper posted on X soon after, saying she had spoken to Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and told him that the government “must immediately end the violence, uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and ensure British nationals are safe.”
In response, Aragchi said he had warned the UK to “avoid interfering in Iran’s internal affairs.”
Featured Image via Megan Norcott
