Protesters light fires in Tehran as top judge says those who create unrest in Iran are working with US and Israel.
Published On 7 Jan 20267 Jan 2026
|
Updated: 7 hours agoUpdated: 7 hours ago
Protesters have taken to the streets in cities across Iran over a spiralling economic crisis, as the country’s top judge warned of action, accusing those who incite unrest of “operating in line” with the United States and Israel.
In the Iranian capital, Tehran, protesters lit fires while thousands more joined marches in cities including Borujerd, Arsanjan and Gilan-e Gharb. Footage from the southern city of Shiraz showed security forces driving over a protest barrier that read “We revolt due to hunger”.
Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list
The latest protests, which are now in their second week, came after Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei said there would be no leniency for those who help the enemy against the Iranian government.
“If anyone comes into the streets for riots or to create insecurity, or supports them, then no excuse remains for them. The matter has become very clear and transparent. They are now operating in line with the enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.
Mohseni-Ejei was referring to comments by United States President Donald Trump, who threatened last week that if Tehran “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue”.
His threat – accompanied by an assertion that the US is “locked and loaded and ready to go” – came seven months after Israeli and US forces bombed Iranian nuclear sites in a 12-day war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also backed the protesters on Sunday, telling ministers, “It is quite possible that we are at a moment when the Iranian people are taking their fate into their own hands.”
Following Mohseni-Ejei’s warning, Iran’s army chief threatened preemptive military action over the “rhetoric” targeting Iran.
Speaking to military academy students, Major-General Amir Hatami – who took over as commander-in-chief of Iran’s army after a slew of top military commanders were killed in Israel’s 12-day war – said the country would “cut off the hand of any aggressor”.
“I can say with confidence that today the readiness of Iran’s armed forces is far greater than before the war. If the enemy commits an error, it will face a more decisive response,” said Hatami.
The nationwide demonstrations, which have seen dozens of people killed so far, ignited at the end of last month when shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar shuttered their businesses in anger over the collapse of Iran’s rial currency, against a backdrop of deepening economic woes driven by mismanagement and punishing Western sanctions.
The Iranian government has not announced casualty figures, but rights activists have reported the death of at least 36 people and the arrest of more than 2,000 people. Al Jazeera has been unable to verify any figures.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised not to “yield to the enemy” following Trump’s comments, which acquired added significance after the US military raid that abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a longtime ally of Tehran, over the weekend.
Seeking to halt the anger, Iran’s government began on Wednesday paying the equivalent of $7 a month to subsidise rising costs for dinner-table essentials such as rice, meat and pasta – a measure widely deemed to be a meagre response.
“More than a week of protests in Iran reflects not only worsening economic conditions, but longstanding anger at government repression and regime policies that have led to Iran’s global isolation,” the New York-based Soufan Center think tank said.