{"id":7886,"date":"2026-01-08T02:19:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T02:19:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=7886"},"modified":"2026-01-08T02:19:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T02:19:47","slug":"iran-leaders-warn-protesters-and-foreign-foes-as-deadly-unrest-ramps-up-protests-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=7886","title":{"rendered":"Iran leaders warn protesters and foreign foes as deadly unrest ramps up | Protests News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Army chief hits out at foreign \u2018rhetoric\u2019 targeting Iran, threatens decisive action to \u2018cut off hand of any aggressor\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"byline byline--single-avatar\">\n<div class=\"avatars-container\">\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2003\/04\/replace_default_avatar.jpeg?resize=96%2C96&amp;quality=80 96w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 96px) 96px, 96px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 7 Jan 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">7 Jan 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Iran\u2019s top judge warned protesters who have taken to the streets during a spiralling economic crisis there will be \u201cno leniency for those who help the enemy against the Islamic Republic\u201d, accusing the US and Israel of sowing chaos.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFollowing announcements by Israel and the US president, there is no excuse for those coming to the streets for riots and unrest,\u201d said Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei on Wednesday in comments on the deadly protests carried by Fars news agency.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Amid growing unrest, Iran is under international pressure after US President Donald Trump threatened last week that if Tehran \u201cviolently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>His threat \u2013 accompanied by an assertion that the US is \u201clocked and loaded and ready to go\u201d \u2013 came seven months after Israeli and US forces bombed Iranian nuclear sites in a 12-day war.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the protesters on Sunday, telling ministers, \u201cIt is quite possible that we are at a moment when the Iranian people are taking their fate into their own hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Following Ejei\u2019s warning, Iran\u2019s army chief threatened preemptive military action over the \u201crhetoric\u201d targeting Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to military academy students, Major-General Amir Hatami \u2013 who took over as commander-in-chief of Iran\u2019s army after a slew of top military commanders were killed in Israel\u2019s 12-day war \u2013 said the country would \u201ccut off the hand of any aggressor\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can say with confidence that today the readiness of Iran\u2019s armed forces is far greater than before the war. If the enemy commits an error, it will face a more decisive response,\u201d said Hatami.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"ongstanding-anger\">\u2018Longstanding anger\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The nationwide demonstrations, which have seen dozens of people killed so far, ignited at the end of last month when shopkeepers in Tehran\u2019s Grand Bazaar shuttered their businesses in anger over the collapse of Iran\u2019s rial currency, against a backdrop of deepening economic woes driven by mismanagement and punishing Western sanctions.<\/p>\n<p>The Iranian state has not announced casualty figures. HRANA, a network of human rights activists, reported a death toll of at least 36 people as well as the arrest of at least 2,076 people. Al Jazeera has been unable to verify any figures.<\/p>\n<p>Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised not to \u201cyield to the enemy\u201d following Trump\u2019s comments, which acquired added significance after the US military raid that seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a longtime ally of Tehran, over the weekend.<\/p>\n<p>Seeking to halt the anger, Iran\u2019s 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 \u2013 a measure widely deemed to be a meagre response.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore 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\u2019s global isolation,\u201d the New York-based Soufan Center think tank said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Army chief hits out at foreign \u2018rhetoric\u2019 targeting Iran, threatens decisive action to \u2018cut off hand of any aggressor\u2019. Published On 7 Jan 20267 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Iran\u2019s top judge warned protesters who have taken to the streets during a spiralling economic crisis there will be \u201cno [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7886"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7886\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}