In a public statement, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, acknowledged that the demonstrators’ demands for economic improvement were “fair”, but threatened to respond strongly to “rioters”.
A protester flashes victory signs as traffic slows during demonstrations in Hamedan, Iran on January 1, 2026 (Getty Images)Middle East Images/AFP via Getty
"The president and high-ranking officials are working to resolve [the issue],” he said, adding: “Authorities must have dialogue with protestors; it is useless to have dialogue with rioters. Those must be put in their place.”
His comments came after US President Trump promised to “hit [Iran] very hard” if security forces continued to kill protestors.
Trump has previously hinted at a renewal of US strikes on Iran if Tehran continues to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.
American B-2 stealth bombers dropped “bunker-busting” munitions on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2024, following on from Israel’s Operation Rising Lion, which targeted the sites with sabotage and drone strikes.
A lone protestor blocks the path of Iranian security forces (X)[Missing Credit]
Despite Trump’s claim that the Natanz and Fordow plants were “obliterated”, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, has estimated that Iran’s supply of 60 per cent enriched uranium – the sort used in nuclear power and armaments – remained largely intact.
Concern is also reportedly growing in Jerusalem over the regime’s potential ballistic arsenal, with Iranian-linked militias in Iraq claiming the largest of these missiles could reach as far west as the Egyptian border.
Israeli politicians have been vocal in their support for the protests, calling for the ousting of the ayatollah, as well as renewed strikes against military-industrial sites.
Speaking on Sunday, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israelis “identify with the struggle” of the Iranian people.
Addressing a weekly cabinet meeting, he went on: “The government of Israel, the State of Israel, and my own policies - we identify with the struggle of the Iranian people, with their aspirations for freedom, liberty and justice.
“It is quite possible that we are at a moment when the Iranian people are taking their fate into their own hands.”
