Violence in Iran’s streets has killed at least 10 people as economic protests sweep the nation, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei signaled Saturday that a crackdown is coming.
“Rioters must be put in their place,” the 86-year-old leader told an audience in Tehran on state television, according to the Associated Press (AP). His remarks likely give security forces approval to use aggressive tactics against demonstrators.
The unrest represents Iran’s largest protests since 2022, when Mahsa Amini died in police custody after her arrest for violating hijab rules. Demonstrations have now spread to more than 100 locations across 22 of Iran’s 31 provinces, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Economic frustration over the collapsing rial currency drove Iranians into the streets. Many protesters have also directed their anger at the Islamic theocracy itself. (RELATED: ‘SHAMELESS! SHAMELESS!’: Protests Erupt Across Iran As Merchants Shut Down, Public Fights Police)
Khamenei blamed foreign enemies for the unrest and the currency crisis. He accused outside powers of hiring agitators to chant against the government.
“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.
Two people died overnight Friday into Saturday, AP News reported, citing the state-owned Iran newspaper. In the holy city of Qom, a grenade explosion killed one man. Security officials claimed he planned to attack others. In Harsin, attackers killed a member of the Basij paramilitary force with guns and knives.
President Donald Trump warned Friday that America would intervene if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters.” Iranian officials responded with threats against U.S. troops in the Middle East.
Iran’s security apparatus has a brutal track record. A 2019 crackdown killed more than 300 people. The 2022 response to Amini protests left over 500 dead.
