President Masoud Pezeshkian strikes conciliatory tone in interview broadcast on state TV however accuses US and Israel of fuelling unrest that has killed dozens.
Revealed On 11 Jan 2026
President Masoud Pezeshkian has pledged to overtake Iran’s struggling economic system, saying his authorities is “able to hearken to its individuals” after two weeks of more and more violent nationwide demonstrations.
Pezeshkian adopted a conciliatory strategy throughout a televised interview on state tv on Sunday, saying his embattled administration was decided to resolve the nation’s financial issues whereas accusing the US and Israel of fomenting lethal unrest.
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The disaster erupted after the Iranian forex plummeted in late December after years of financial duress, triggering mass protests over hovering residing prices and inflation. These protests have since taken on a extra political and antigovernment nature.
The president accused the US and Israel of attempting to “sow chaos and dysfunction” by directing components of the unrest and referred to as on Iranians to distance themselves from what he described as “rioters and terrorists”.
The demonstrations are the most important in Iran since a 2022-2023 protest motion spurred by the dying in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the strict gown code for girls.
“Individuals have issues. We must always sit with them, and whether it is our obligation, we must always resolve their issues,” Pezeshkian mentioned. “However the increased obligation is to not permit a bunch of rioters to come back and destroy your entire society.”
Tohid Asadi, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Tehran, mentioned Iranian officers had spent the previous week attempting to attract a distinction between protesters and what they described as foreign-trained rioters.
Asadi added that senior officers had acknowledged public anger as justified, citing “hovering costs, excessive inflation and the drastic devaluation of the native forex that proper now places an enormous quantity of stress on the pockets of native individuals”.
State media reported that 109 safety personnel have been killed throughout the protests.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf bolstered a distinction between peaceable and armed demonstrators throughout remarks to lawmakers on Sunday, saying Iran recognised “individuals’s peaceable protests over financial issues” however would stand towards “terrorists”.
A former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, Qalibaf additionally issued a stark warning to Washington after US President Donald Trump threatened army motion if Iranian authorities kill demonstrators.
“Within the case of an assault on Iran, the occupied territories [Israel] in addition to all US bases and ships can be our legit goal,” he mentioned as some lawmakers reportedly chanted anti-American slogans.
Trump had declared on social media that the US stood “prepared to assist” Iran, suggesting attainable strikes however ruling out floor troops. His feedback represented a big escalation as Tehran faces its most severe home problem in years.
The Ministry of Inside claimed the unrest is subsiding as Iran’s legal professional basic warned individuals they may face capital punishment. A nationwide web blackout has endured for greater than 60 hours, in response to monitoring teams.
Human rights organisations reported no less than 51 protesters have been killed by safety forces, together with 9 youngsters, with tons of extra injured and mass arrests performed throughout the nation.
