Tehran’s show of strength—and the cracks beneath
Behrouz Turani
Iran International
Tehran is signaling no retreat in the face of escalating protests, issuing fresh threats and hardening its rhetoric even as unrest continues across multiple cities.
Iran International
Tehran is signaling no retreat in the face of escalating protests, issuing fresh threats and hardening its rhetoric even as unrest continues across multiple cities.
Rather than acknowledge public anger or suggest compromise, Iran’s leadership has moved to project defiance—tightening control, mobilizing loyalists and insisting that the state remains firmly in charge.
That posture was most clearly on display on state television on Friday, with thinly veiled threats against protesters, including warnings to parents to keep their children off the streets “if they care about their safety.”
Channel 3, one of the country’s most-watched stations, framed the unrest as a coordinated assault on the state, while commentators denounced protesters for demanding basic civil rights even as images showed security forces firing tear gas and live ammunition into crowds.
Tehran’s mayor, Alireza Zakani, said protesters in the capital had set fire to dozens of buses and public buildings, branding them “terrorists” while omitting that many of those buses are routinely used to transport detainees.
Parallel universes
Leading this hard line—as always—was Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who delivered a defiant, threat-laden speech after a night of furious protests. He accused demonstrators of acting on behalf of foreign enemies and vowed to confront what he called “sabotage” with force.
Throughout the day, television screens depicted two Irans unfolding in parallel.
On one channel, young men with patchy beards sang aging anthems glorifying violence and sacrifice in the name of religious devotion. On another, images showed frustrated protesters attacking a supermarket—only to leave without taking anything. The two sides appeared to inhabit different moral and political universes.
The attacks on regime icons, including toppled effigies of former IRGC Qods Force commander Qasem Soleimani, point to something deeper than rage: the breaking of a spell.
For decades, Khamenei cultivated the image of an untouchable ruler—a giant towering over a society long conditioned to fear the machinery of repression. But power often begins to erode symbolically before it does materially.
The Islamic Republic’s response to loud cries of rejection has been to insist, ever more loudly, that nothing essential has changed. Yet the need for such insistence is itself revealing. Giants do not announce their strength; they assume it.
When power must be constantly performed, restated and enforced on screen, it is often because the myth that sustained it is beginning to crack.
Iran’s leadership may yet suppress the unrest. It still commands formidable coercive tools. But the scenes now unfolding—even through the narrow lens of state television—suggest that something has shifted.
The state is shouting certainty into a country that no longer appears convinced. And once that moment arrives, the fall of a giant is no longer unthinkable—even if it is not yet complete.
Videos and eyewitness accounts reviewed by Iran International showed crowds gathering after dark in Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, Tabriz and other cities despite gunfire, blocked roads and widespread disruptions to communications. The demonstrations followed massive rallies the previous night that was described as among the largest since the unrest began.
Eyewitnesses in Tehran described demonstrators regrouping after nightfall in multiple neighborhoods, blocking major roads, setting fire to police vehicles, and chanting anti-government slogans as security forces attempted to disperse crowds. Chants of “Death to the dictator” and “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life for Iran” echoed through the capital, while car horns blared continuously in what witnesses described as coordinated acts of defiance.
In Isfahan, video verified by Iran International showed a large crowd chanting “Khamenei is a murderer, his rule is illegitimate,” alongside monarchist slogans including “Long live the King.”
In Mashhad, protesters filled major streets chanting “This is the last battle, Pahlavi will return,” according to eyewitnesses, as demonstrations continued despite heavy security deployments.
Footage from Tabriz showed protesters marching through city streets as the sound of gunfire rang out nearby, while other videos captured demonstrators disabling surveillance cameras and erecting makeshift barricades.
Eyewitness accounts from southern and central cities described similar scenes, with crowds converging on symbolic locations, burning banners and posters associated with the Islamic Republic, and remaining in the streets for hours despite internet outages and disruptions to phone service and electronic payments.
Several witnesses told Iran International that security forces appeared overstretched in some areas, relying on intimidation tactics, warning shots and use of force. In other locations, particularly in southeastern Iran, rights groups reported that security forces fired directly on protesters in Zahedan after Friday prayers, wounding several people.
Authorities threaten executions, tighten pressure
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned US President Donald Trump that he would be brought down.
“Trump should know that world tyrants such as Pharaoh, Nimrod, Reza Shah and Mohammad Reza were brought down at the peak of their arrogance. He too will be brought down,” Khamenei said in remarks aired on state television.
The Islamic Republic, he said, would not retreat in the face of unrest. “Everyone should know that the Islamic Republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honorable people, and it will not back down in the face of saboteurs,” he added.
Tehran’s public prosecutor, Ali Salehi, said those accused of arson, destruction of public property or armed clashes with security forces would face charges of moharebeh, an offense that carries the death penalty under Iranian law.
Separately, Ali Larijani, Iran’s security chief, blamed what he described as “armed protesters” for fatalities during the unrest and said security forces had begun arresting what he called ringleaders. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards intelligence organization also issued a warning saying the continuation of protests was “unacceptable.”
The Supreme National Security Council accused foreign powers of steering the unrest and said security forces and the judiciary would show no leniency toward what it called saboteurs. Education officials announced that schools in several provinces would move to online classes, citing security concerns and disruptions caused by the blackout.
Exiled prince urges sustained action and strikes
Exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi urged protesters to return to the streets over the weekend, push toward central city areas and prepare for prolonged presence. He also called on workers in transportation, oil, gas and the broader energy sector to begin nationwide strikes aimed at cutting off state revenues.
Pahlavi said the demonstrations had exposed vulnerabilities within the security apparatus and appealed to members of the armed forces who support the opposition’s defection platform to further disrupt repression. He also said he was preparing to return to Iran and stand alongside protesters at what he described as a decisive moment.
International pressure builds
UN human rights chief Volker Türk said he was “deeply disturbed” by reports of violence and urged independent investigations and restoration of communications. The European Union condemned any excessive use of force and called for restraint, while France, Britain and Germany issued a joint statement urging Iranian authorities to protect peaceful assembly.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran against killing protesters and said Washington was watching closely, while the State Department cautioned Tehran not to test US resolve.
Several airlines, including Flydubai and Turkish Airlines, cancelled flights to Iran as unrest intensified, underscoring the widening international impact of a crisis entering its second week.
