Politics Iran's leader calls for toughness against 'troublemakers'
Iran's supreme leader has reacted for the first time to the political unrest of the past week and called for strict measures to be taken against "troublemakers". Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on state television that this was a conspiracy by Iran's domestic and foreign enemies and must be consistently prevented.
03.01.2026, 12:54
SDA
"The protests of traders in the bazaar about the loss of value of the national currency and the unstable exchange rates are justified, but the troublemakers must be put in their place," he said. It was unacceptable to exploit civil protests to stir up political unrest.
The protests against the Iranian government have now been going on for seven days. Riots broke out in the southern Tehran district of Nasi Abad, as activists and social media users had previously reported.
The demonstrators accuse Khamenei of having led the country into international isolation with his uncompromising policies and thus into the worst economic crisis in its history. They also accuse him of allocating the country's financial resources to the fight against Israel rather than to his own people.
Police speak of "armed riots"
In connection with the protests against the state leadership, the police are talking about the threat of "armed uprisings" - hinting at a tougher stance against demonstrators. The protests were becoming increasingly violent, the police argued.
"We will not allow the enemies of this country to turn civil protests into riots and armed uprisings and will protect the country and its people to the last breath," a police spokesman told the state-affiliated Fars news agency.
Protests reportedly continued in other parts of the country. The state news agency Irna also reported on demonstrations in Ghom, Marwdasht, Mashhad and Hamedan, among other places. Violent riots and clashes between security forces and demonstrators have recently occurred, particularly in the countryside. According to human rights activists, at least ten people have died so far.
