On Tuesday, Reza Molaei, a presenter on Iran’s state-run Channel 3, delivered a sharply worded message directed at government opponents living abroad. “When the dust of sedition settles, we will grab you by the collar,” he said during the broadcast.
Footage widely shared online showed him going further, referring to an earlier warning from Iran’s prosecutor general and suggesting critics could face deadly consequences so that “their mothers would sit in mourning.”
The broadcast followed a statement Monday by Iran’s Office of the Prosecutor General warning Iranian citizens abroad they could face severe penalties—including confiscation of assets and even the death penalty—if they engage in what authorities describe as “cooperation with the enemy.”
Although framed in terms of espionage or intelligence activity, the warning has raised alarm among members of the Iranian diaspora who regularly organize anti-government protests in major cities worldwide.
Participants in those rallies say authorities could identify them through social media posts or videos from demonstrations and target them or their families inside Iran.
Inside the country, officials have issued similarly stark warnings.
Ahmadreza Radan, Iran’s police chief, said in a televised interview on March 9 that individuals who take to the streets “at the enemy’s behest” would be treated not as protesters but as hostile actors.
“If someone comes to the streets at the enemy’s behest, we do not see them as a protester—we see them as an enemy, and we will deal with them accordingly,” he said. “All our forces have their fingers on the trigger and are ready.”
The phrase appeared to reference calls by US and Israeli leaders urging Iranians to challenge the government.
The climate of intimidation has also extended to Iranian athletes abroad.
Several members of Iran’s women’s national football team sought asylum in Australia after declining to sing the national anthem before a match against South Korea, two days after the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—a gesture many observers interpreted as protest against the crackdown.
During a television program, presenter Mohammad Reza Shahbazi denounced the players as “traitors in a time of war,” accusing them of disrespecting the country and calling for harsh punishment.
Legal advocacy group Dadban—run by volunteer lawyers in the Iranian diaspora—warned the rhetoric appearing on state media could legitimize violence against civilians.
“When such threats are aired by official media, it sends the message that deadly force against protesters may be considered legitimate,” the group said. “This seriously increases the risk of escalating violence against citizens.”
The threats come two months after the deadly suppression of nationwide protests in January, which left many in Iranian society still shaken and wary of renewed confrontation.
Some activists say the warnings will not deter them from opposing the government, while others have used the moment to highlight what they describe as decades of pressure on Iranian citizens both inside and outside the country.
