Iran appoints US-sanctioned Guards veteran as IRGC deputy commander

“I have seen no indication that the ruling system wants to change its paradigm,” Alaei said in a video interview with the news site Entekhab, published on Monday. “The current situation shows that previous policies and strategies have not worked.”

Alaei said sanctions had left Iran unable to export freely or access the global banking system, while the domestic economy remained dominated by the state, despite what he described as historical evidence that state-led economic models do not succeed.

“We cannot export normally and we have no access to the world’s banking system,” he said. “At the same time, the economy is still run by the state, even though human experience shows such models fail.”

He said Iran could still pursue a change in direction but argued that parts of the ruling establishment viewed any paradigm shift as a retreat from core values. Others, he added, believed revising failed strategies was itself a way of safeguarding the country’s fundamental principles.

Alaei also warned that the United States and Israel were moving toward what he described as a “Plan B,” centered on intensifying sanctions to worsen economic conditions, trigger unrest and potentially justify military intervention – unless Iran addressed domestic economic mismanagement and recalibrated its foreign policy.

He said a diplomatic opening could still be possible if the United States were to lift all sanctions, even under current political conditions.

Protests spread across Iran on Tuesday, with universities and commercial districts emerging as key hubs amid a widening strike by shopkeepers in Tehran and other cities.

Human rights and student groups said at least 11 protesters were arrested near Tehran’s Shoush Square.

Five students were also detained at universities in the capital, four of whom were later released.

Student outlets reported that one student at Tehran’s Amirkabir University was severely injured during a campus crackdown after members of the Basij militia of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked their gathering.

Videos circulating on social media showed students chanting anti-government slogans, dismantling signs linked to the office of the Supreme Leader’s representatives and confronting security forces at campus gates.

In some clips, officers appeared to retreat as crowds advanced; in others, security forces were seen firing tear gas and, in several locations, shooting toward demonstrators.

The protests coincided with the government’s announcement that public offices would close in nearly 25 provinces, including the capital on Wednesday - a move officials said was necessary to conserve energy amid a severe cold snap. However, online weather data showed no significant drop in temperatures.

The unrest began Sunday after shopkeepers in several Tehran malls and later the Grand Bazaar launched a strike in response to the rial hitting a record low against the US dollar.

Since then, videos verified by Iran International have documented protests in Tehran, Karaj, Qeshm Island, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Shiraz, Yazd, Kerman and several other cities.

Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani acknowledged widespread frustration, saying the protests reflected “intense economic pressure” and that peaceful assembly is recognized under Iran’s constitution.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said he instructed the interior minister to engage in dialogue with representatives of the demonstrators to hear their “legitimate” demands. He later attended a meeting with a handpicked group of trade officials on Tuesday.

Heavy security deployments were reported in Tehran, Mashhad, and Kermanshah, with residents describing checkpoints, constant patrols, and the presence of both uniformed and plainclothes officers.

In Hamadan, footage appeared to show security forces opening fire toward protesters, while riot police in Tehran and the nearby city of Malard used tear gas to disperse crowds.

Demonstrations were held on Tuesday night in several parts of Iran, and are expected to continue into a fourth day, with more Iranian businesses announcing on social media that they will close in solidarity with the movement.

"Iran must have missiles; without them, we would be defenseless. We must stand for Iran’s dignity," Vice-President for Executive Affairs Mohammad-Jafar Ghaempanah said.

"If we are to bow our heads to whatever the United States says, then tomorrow we will have to answer to future generations."

Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, wrote on his X account: “Iran’s missile and defense capability is neither negotiable, nor stoppable, nor containable.”

“In the event of any new adventurism, the will and capability of the armed forces to respond to the enemy and defend the Iranian nation will be very different from the past," Rezaei said, responding to Trump's threats.

Trump said on Monday he would support possible Israeli strikes on Iran if the Islamic Republic develops its ballistic missile or nuclear programs, warning Tehran against rebuilding military capabilities destroyed in Israeli and American airstrikes in June.

Speaking to reporters alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida, Trump said the United States will deal a heavy blow on Iran if it tries to recover from the US and Israeli strikes in June.

"I'm hearing that Iran is trying to recover—if that happens, we'll have to hit them hard," Trump added.

"If they will continue with the missiles, yes. The nuclear, fast. Okay? One will be yes, absolutely. The other was, we'll do it immediately," Trump said when asked if he would support Israel's strikes on Iran in case it further develops its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

Ghaempanah said "no regime should have the power to threaten us."

"If our missiles had not been effective against Israel, they would certainly not have proposed a ceasefire," he said.

On June 13, Israel launched a surprise military offensive against Iran, followed by US strikes on June 22 that targeted key nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow.

The attacks killed several Iranian nuclear scientists as well as hundreds of military personnel and civilians. Iranian retaliatory strikes killed 32 Israeli civilians and one off-duty soldier.

The 12-day war ended with a ceasefire brokered by Donald Trump.

In a statement, the ministry said Canada’s move violated international law by branding an official branch of Iran’s armed forces as “terrorist,” and said the new designation was a reciprocal response.

Canada listed the IRGC under its Criminal Code in June 2024, a step Ottawa said was aimed at curbing alleged Iranian influence operations and holding Tehran to account over security and human-rights concerns.

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  Canada sanctions 4 senior Iranian officials over protest crackdown

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  Canada court upholds immigration bar on Iranian over IRGC conscription

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  New Canadian rule mandates reporting of all Iran transactions

The exchange adds to long-running tensions between the two countries. Canada has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Iranian officials in recent years and has cited the IRGC’s role in domestic repression as part of its rationale.

Canada severed diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012 and closed its embassy in Tehran, leaving the two countries without formal diplomatic relations.

“We believe it is necessary to develop a dialogue with Iran,” the Kremlin said, urging parties “to refrain from escalation” after President Donald Trump warned Tehran against rebuilding missile and nuclear capabilities.

Trump, speaking Monday alongside Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida, said the US would hit Iran hard if it recovers militarily from the June war and that he would back possible Israeli strikes if Iran continues missile development.

Asked about support for strikes, Trump said: “If they will continue with the missiles, yes… The nuclear… absolutely.”

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  Trump says he'd ‘absolutely’ back possible Israeli strikes on Iran

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  Khamenei aide vows harsh response to any aggression after Trump warning

"I hope Iran is not trying to build up, as I've been reading, that they're building up weapons and other things. And if they are, they're not using the sites that we obliterated, but they're using possibly different sites. We know exactly where they're going, what they're doing, and I hope they're not doing it, because we don't want to waste the fuel on B-2, it's a 37-hour trip both ways. I don't want to waste a lot of fuel," he said.

The United States held five rounds of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program earlier this year, for which Trump set a 60-day deadline.

When no agreement was reached by the 61st day on June 13, Israel launched a surprise military offensive followed by US strikes on June 22 targeting key nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow.

The attacks killed nuclear scientists along with hundreds of military personnel and civilians. Iranian counterattacks killed 32 Israeli civilians and an off-duty soldier.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said dealing with Trump is beneath the dignity of the Islamic Republic, while Iranian officials have rejected US demands to end uranium enrichment and curb missile capabilities.