Uzi wa machoko ya kigalatia wakijitia midole na kunusishana
Inaonekana hata lugha haipandi, mmatumbi yuko ikungu anatoa update za Iran
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Ayatollah Ali Khamenei insisted the government would not back down in the face of protests © via ReutersIran tightens crackdown as it tackles biggest protests in years on x (opens in a new window)Iran tightens crackdown as it tackles biggest protests in years on facebook (opens in a new window)Iran tightens crackdown as it tackles biggest protests in years on linkedin (opens in a new window)Savecurrent progress 90%Andrew England in LondonPublishedJAN 10 2026UpdatedJAN 10 2026, 18:49Print this pageUnlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Iran intensified its crackdown, arresting scores of people and stepping up its warnings to protesters, as the Islamic republic battled to contain the most serious threat to the regime in years.After nationwide unrest escalated this week, the army said on Saturday that it would deploy troops to protect “strategic” infrastructure, and the authorities warned that the courts would deal with those detained “quickly and without leniency”.Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds arrested since the protests erupted late last month in Tehran over economic grievances and then morphed into anti-regime protests that spread across the country.The unrest comes at a time when the Islamic republic is at its most vulnerable in years as it faces intensifying internal and domestic pressures and an increasingly desperate and angry population.Tasnim, a news agency affiliated to the Revolutionary Guards, on Saturday cited security sources saying nearly 200 “terrorist leaders” were arrested, adding that grenades, Molotov cocktails and other weapons had been seized from their homes.State affiliated media said more than a dozen security personnel had been killed since the protests escalated on Thursday, the start of the Iranian weekend.It accused “armed groups” of attacking “public and private property in several provinces, causing extensive damage”, including at mosques.The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a foreign-based group, said on Friday that the death toll had reached 65, including 14 members of the security forces. It said more than 2,000 people had been arrested since the start of the protests. Scores of people have been wounded and arrested, rights groups said.An Iranian doctor and a medic told the BBC that hospitals in Tehran and Shiraz were overwhelmed with people suffering gunshot wounds. The doctor said a hospital in Tehran had gone into crisis mode, with non-urgent admissions and surgeries suspended to treat the wounded.Protesters gather as vehicles burn in Tehran, in a video published on social media © via ReutersIt was not possible to verify the information as an internet blackout that has cut off the republic from the outside world stretched into a third day.Diplomats fear that the regime, which has a history of crushing protests, could use the blackout to harden its crackdown.In its statement, the army accused Israel and “hostile terrorist groups” of seeking to “undermine the country’s public security”.Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, the prosecutor-general, on Saturday warned that “all criminals are enemies in this matter”.“They should not say they were tricked because they were given the necessary warnings about the enemy’s goals.” He also warned Iranians to be careful about social media posts.The protests, which began in late December, escalated markedly this week.In a speech on Thursday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused protesters of acting on behalf of US President Donald Trump and vowed his government would not back down.The regime has accused foreign forces and “terrorists” of stoking the protests and has long feared that the US or Israel would seek to exploit domestic unrest.A video shared online on Friday showed crowds gathered around an open fire in Tehran © UGC/AFP via Getty ImagesTrump has threatened to come to the “rescue” if the regime killed demonstrators.The US president warned Iran’s leaders that “you better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting too”.“Iran’s in big trouble,” Trump said on Friday. “It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago.”The 13-day demonstrations were triggered by economic grievances after shopkeepers in Tehran shuttered their stores to protest soaring prices.That morphed into nationwide anti-regime demonstrations that have spread to smaller cities and towns across the provinces.President Masoud Pezeshkian, who came to power 18 months ago vowing to reform the economy, initially sought to placate the demonstrators. He met business leaders to discuss their concerns and appointed a new central bank governor to try to restore “economic stability”.But as the protests intensified, the authorities have stepped up their warnings.“This is uncharted territory for the Islamic republic as they have organic, bottom-up pressure, with segments of the society that were historically the backbone of the republic protesting, which has mushroomed into something much bigger,” said Ellie Geranmayeh at the European Council on Foreign Relations.“There are no easy answers to this pressure, and combined with this you have the top-down pressure from the US and Israel.”On Saturday,
state TV broadcast images of pro-regime demonstrations as it said “calm” had returned to cities across the country.
