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Iran Protests Escalate Over Two Days as Public Defies State Warnings, Army Enters Security Narrative, and Casualty Reports Rise
| From | Iran Unfiltered from NIAC <[email protected]> |
| Subject | Iran Protests Escalate Over Two Days as Public Defies State Warnings, Army Enters Security Narrative, and Casualty Reports Rise |
| Date | January 10, 2026 10:56 PM |
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Iran Protests Escalate Over Two Days as Public Defies State Warnings, Army Enters Security Narrative, and Casualty Reports Rise [[link removed]]
Over the past two days, Iran’s protest movement has entered a sharper and more dangerous phase, marked by continued street mobilization despite near-total communications blackout, escalating threats from senior officials, and a visibly hardened security posture . The disruption of both internet access and phone connectivity has significantly slowed the transmission of information from inside the country, sharply limiting real-time verification. Even so, available footage, eyewitness accounts, and fragmented local reporting indicate that large numbers of protesters have deliberately ignored repeated warnings from Iranian authorities and, in the face of state violence, continued to mobilize on the nights of January 8 and 9.
New videos from these two nights show renewed nighttime gatherings across multiple Tehran neighborhoods, including Chitgar, Ashrafi Esfahani, Ekbatan, Ponak, Saadat Abad (Meydan-e Kaj), Nezamabad, Sabelan Square, Haft-Hoz, Tehranpars, Shariati Street, and Tajrish . Protesters chanted a mix of anti-regime, nationalist, and monarchist slogans, including “Death to Khamenei,” “Death to the Dictator,” “Javid Shah,” and “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life for Iran.” Several clips include the sound of gunfire and references to “heavy clashes,” underscoring the rising intensity of confrontations. The persistence of these gatherings—despite explicit threats of severe punishment—signals a growing willingness among demonstrators to take on higher personal risk.
Outside the capital, reports from the same two-day period point to continued unrest in cities including Tabriz, Mashhad, Qom, Yazd, Rasht, and others . Accounts describe fires, damage to shops and public facilities, and attacks on security-linked sites in some locations. Although the blackout makes it impossible to determine the full scale or coordination of these actions, the geographic spread suggests sustained mobilization rather than isolated incidents.
Critically, there are no indications of any fracture, defection, or hesitation within the state’s coercive apparatus . Messaging from the judiciary, police, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and senior political leadership has been unified and uncompromising. Authorities have emphasized surveillance, deterrence, and punishment, including warnings that nighttime chanting—even from inside private residences—is being monitored and will lead to arrest. The absence of credible reporting on internal dissent within the police, Basij, IRGC, or regular army indicates that, at this stage, the regime’s enforcement institutions remain cohesive.
Within this context, the public statement issued by the Iranian army pledging to protect national interests, strategic infrastructure, and public property represents a notable and unusual development . In recent years, the regular army has rarely intervened so explicitly in the discourse surrounding domestic protests, which have typically been framed and managed by the police and the IRGC. The army’s entry into the security narrative is therefore significant: it reflects both a recognition of the deteriorating severity of the situation and a broader institutional alignment signaling the determination of all armed bodies to confront and suppress the unrest. While the statement does not necessarily imply a change in operational command on the ground, it underscores heightened concern within the state and an effort to project unity and resolve across the entire security establishment.
Official rhetoric has simultaneously escalated . Judicial authorities have reiterated that arson, destruction of property, and confrontation with security forces will be treated as moharebeh , or ‘enmity against god,’ which is considered a capital crime. This signals readiness to impose the harshest penalties available under Iranian law. Senior leaders, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, have framed the protests as destructive and foreign-driven and have stressed that the Islamic Republic will not retreat. These statements appear intended both to deter further participation and to legitimize intensified repression under a security and counterterrorism framework.
At the same time, a growing volume of reports points to a sharp increase in the number of people killed and wounded during these two days . Although precise casualty figures remain impossible to verify under blackout conditions, the consistency and geographic breadth of these reports strongly suggest that fatalities have risen significantly. Human rights networks warn that deaths and injuries are likely being underreported, particularly amid restricted hospital access, arrests of the wounded, and the near-total collapse of independent reporting channels.
International rhetoric has become an increasingly visible factor in this short window . Donald Trump’s repeated public warnings, stating that the United States is closely monitoring developments and threatening severe consequences if Iranian authorities “start killing people,” have circulated widely among protesters and opposition figures. Reza Pahlavi has directly referenced these statements and has openly called on Trump to intervene and strike the Islamic Republic.
However, it remains unclear whether Trump or the United States would actually pursue such intervention, and there is no indication of a concrete policy shift . Moreover, even if military action were to occur, its impact on the protest movement and internal dynamics inside Iran is highly uncertain. Rather than weaken the state’s coercive capacity or embolden demonstrators, strikes could limit the scale of protests and lead to greater securitization, tighter internal cohesion among security forces, and more severe repression—outcomes that past regional precedents suggest are plausible.
Taken together, the events of the past two days reflect a protest environment defined by open defiance under deepening repression . Protesters have continued to mobilize despite direct warnings from the highest levels of the state, mounting reports of deaths, and a near-total communications blackout. The security apparatus has shown no signs of internal division and has instead moved toward broader institutional alignment, highlighted by the rare public intervention of the regular army. Trump’s rhetoric has become a prominent external variable shaping both protester expectations and regime justification, but it has not altered the fundamental balance on the ground. With visibility collapsing, casualties reportedly rising, and the state signaling zero tolerance, these two days may mark a decisive turn toward a more openly militarized and high-cost confrontation.
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Iran Protests Escalate Over Two Days as Public Defies State Warnings, Army Enters Security Narrative, and Casualty Reports Rise [[link removed]]
Over the past two days, Iran’s protest movement has entered a sharper and more dangerous phase, marked by continued street mobilization despite near-total communications blackout, escalating threats from senior officials, and a visibly hardened security posture . The disruption of both internet access and phone connectivity has significantly slowed the transmission of information from inside the country, sharply limiting real-time verification. Even so, available footage, eyewitness accounts, and fragmented local reporting indicate that large numbers of protesters have deliberately ignored repeated warnings from Iranian authorities and, in the face of state violence, continued to mobilize on the nights of January 8 and 9.
New videos from these two nights show renewed nighttime gatherings across multiple Tehran neighborhoods, including Chitgar, Ashrafi Esfahani, Ekbatan, Ponak, Saadat Abad (Meydan-e Kaj), Nezamabad, Sabelan Square, Haft-Hoz, Tehranpars, Shariati Street, and Tajrish . Protesters chanted a mix of anti-regime, nationalist, and monarchist slogans, including “Death to Khamenei,” “Death to the Dictator,” “Javid Shah,” and “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life for Iran.” Several clips include the sound of gunfire and references to “heavy clashes,” underscoring the rising intensity of confrontations. The persistence of these gatherings—despite explicit threats of severe punishment—signals a growing willingness among demonstrators to take on higher personal risk.
Outside the capital, reports from the same two-day period point to continued unrest in cities including Tabriz, Mashhad, Qom, Yazd, Rasht, and others . Accounts describe fires, damage to shops and public facilities, and attacks on security-linked sites in some locations. Although the blackout makes it impossible to determine the full scale or coordination of these actions, the geographic spread suggests sustained mobilization rather than isolated incidents.
Critically, there are no indications of any fracture, defection, or hesitation within the state’s coercive apparatus . Messaging from the judiciary, police, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and senior political leadership has been unified and uncompromising. Authorities have emphasized surveillance, deterrence, and punishment, including warnings that nighttime chanting—even from inside private residences—is being monitored and will lead to arrest. The absence of credible reporting on internal dissent within the police, Basij, IRGC, or regular army indicates that, at this stage, the regime’s enforcement institutions remain cohesive.
Within this context, the public statement issued by the Iranian army pledging to protect national interests, strategic infrastructure, and public property represents a notable and unusual development . In recent years, the regular army has rarely intervened so explicitly in the discourse surrounding domestic protests, which have typically been framed and managed by the police and the IRGC. The army’s entry into the security narrative is therefore significant: it reflects both a recognition of the deteriorating severity of the situation and a broader institutional alignment signaling the determination of all armed bodies to confront and suppress the unrest. While the statement does not necessarily imply a change in operational command on the ground, it underscores heightened concern within the state and an effort to project unity and resolve across the entire security establishment.
Official rhetoric has simultaneously escalated . Judicial authorities have reiterated that arson, destruction of property, and confrontation with security forces will be treated as moharebeh , or ‘enmity against god,’ which is considered a capital crime. This signals readiness to impose the harshest penalties available under Iranian law. Senior leaders, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, have framed the protests as destructive and foreign-driven and have stressed that the Islamic Republic will not retreat. These statements appear intended both to deter further participation and to legitimize intensified repression under a security and counterterrorism framework.
At the same time, a growing volume of reports points to a sharp increase in the number of people killed and wounded during these two days . Although precise casualty figures remain impossible to verify under blackout conditions, the consistency and geographic breadth of these reports strongly suggest that fatalities have risen significantly. Human rights networks warn that deaths and injuries are likely being underreported, particularly amid restricted hospital access, arrests of the wounded, and the near-total collapse of independent reporting channels.
International rhetoric has become an increasingly visible factor in this short window . Donald Trump’s repeated public warnings, stating that the United States is closely monitoring developments and threatening severe consequences if Iranian authorities “start killing people,” have circulated widely among protesters and opposition figures. Reza Pahlavi has directly referenced these statements and has openly called on Trump to intervene and strike the Islamic Republic.
However, it remains unclear whether Trump or the United States would actually pursue such intervention, and there is no indication of a concrete policy shift . Moreover, even if military action were to occur, its impact on the protest movement and internal dynamics inside Iran is highly uncertain. Rather than weaken the state’s coercive capacity or embolden demonstrators, strikes could limit the scale of protests and lead to greater securitization, tighter internal cohesion among security forces, and more severe repression—outcomes that past regional precedents suggest are plausible.
Taken together, the events of the past two days reflect a protest environment defined by open defiance under deepening repression . Protesters have continued to mobilize despite direct warnings from the highest levels of the state, mounting reports of deaths, and a near-total communications blackout. The security apparatus has shown no signs of internal division and has instead moved toward broader institutional alignment, highlighted by the rare public intervention of the regular army. Trump’s rhetoric has become a prominent external variable shaping both protester expectations and regime justification, but it has not altered the fundamental balance on the ground. With visibility collapsing, casualties reportedly rising, and the state signaling zero tolerance, these two days may mark a decisive turn toward a more openly militarized and high-cost confrontation.
Support NIAC's important work by making a contribution today.
Donate → [[link removed]]
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