Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Saturday that “rioters must be put in their place,” issuing his first public comments since a wave of protests erupted across the country and signaling a likely green light for security forces to intensify their response.
The remarks came after at least a week of demonstrations driven by Iran’s worsening economic conditions, including the sharp collapse of the national currency, the rial. Violence linked to the protests has left at least 10 people dead, according to reports, and unrest has spread widely, marking the most significant challenge to the Islamic Republic since mass protests in 2022.
Speaking in Tehran, Khamenei sought to draw a distinction between what he described as legitimate protesters and those he labeled as “rioters.” “We talk to protesters, the officials must talk to them,” he said in remarks broadcast on state television. “But there is no benefit to talking to rioters. Rioters must be put in their place.”
Khamenei again blamed foreign powers for the unrest, repeating longstanding claims that the United States, Israel, and other “enemies” were instigating demonstrations, though he offered no evidence. He also attributed Iran’s economic troubles, including the currency’s collapse, to outside pressure rather than domestic policy failures. “A bunch of people incited or hired by the enemy are getting behind the tradesmen and shopkeepers and chanting slogans against Islam, Iran and the Islamic Republic,” he said.
The comments are widely seen as an endorsement of a harder security response. Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, which answers directly to Khamenei, includes the Basij militia, a volunteer force known for violently suppressing dissent. The Basij played a central role in crushing the 2009 Green Movement and the nationwide protests sparked in 2022 by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in police custody after being detained over her headscarf.
While President Masoud Pezeshkian has indicated a willingness to address economic grievances through dialogue, hard-line figures within the political and security establishment are believed to be pushing for a forceful crackdown. Past experience suggests such moments often end in bloodshed. Protests over fuel price hikes in 2019 reportedly left more than 300 people dead, while the crackdown following the Amini protests killed over 500 people and led to the detention of more than 22,000 others.
Overnight violence underscored the growing volatility. In the holy city of Qom, a grenade explosion killed one man, according to the state-run IRAN newspaper, which quoted security officials alleging the individual was carrying the device to carry out an attack. Separately, in the town of Harsin in western Iran, a member of the Basij was killed in a gun and knife attack, the newspaper reported.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said demonstrations have now spread to more than 100 locations across 22 of Iran’s 31 provinces. While the protests began over economic hardship, chants have increasingly targeted Iran’s clerical leadership, reflecting deeper political frustration.
The unrest is unfolding amid heightened regional and international tensions. U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Friday that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue,” a statement that prompted angry reactions from Iranian officials, some of whom threatened retaliation against U.S. forces in the Middle East. Trump’s remarks also followed his claim that U.S. forces had captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a close ally of Tehran, adding to Iranian concerns about American intentions.
Iran’s economy has struggled in recent months, compounded by the aftermath of a brief war with Israel in June, during which U.S. forces also struck Iranian nuclear sites. Tehran has since said it halted uranium enrichment at all facilities, signaling openness to renewed negotiations over its nuclear program in hopes of easing sanctions. However, no talks have materialized, and both Washington and Israel have warned Iran against rebuilding its nuclear capabilities.
Analysts say the Iranian leadership retains the capacity to suppress the current unrest, even if protests persist. “Iran has no organized domestic opposition; protesters are likely acting spontaneously,” the Eurasia Group said in a recent analysis. “While protests could continue or grow larger, the regime retains a large security apparatus and would likely suppress such dissent without losing control of the country.”
For now, Khamenei’s remarks suggest that Iran’s leadership is prepared to rely on that apparatus, even as public anger shows little sign of fading.
