{"id":221,"date":"2026-01-09T13:48:05","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T13:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=221"},"modified":"2026-01-09T13:49:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T13:49:20","slug":"irans-khamenei-vows-no-retreat-as-protests-over-living-costs-intensify","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=221","title":{"rendered":"Iran\u2019s Khamenei Vows No Retreat as Protests Over Living Costs Intensify"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>TEHRAN:<\/strong> Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader <strong>Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/strong> on Friday vowed that the government would <strong>not retreat in the face of nationwide protests<\/strong>, as demonstrations over rising living costs intensified and appeared to be the largest in nearly two weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Protesters chanting slogans such as <em>\u201cdeath to the dictator\u201d<\/em> marched through major cities late Thursday, setting fire to government buildings and clashing with authorities. The demonstrations have emerged as one of the most serious challenges to Iran\u2019s leadership in decades, with calls openly questioning the country\u2019s theocratic rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Internet monitoring group <strong>NetBlocks<\/strong> reported that authorities imposed a <strong>nationwide internet blackout<\/strong> late Thursday, adding that Iran remained offline for more than 12 hours in what appeared to be an attempt to curb the spread of protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his first public remarks since the unrest began on January 3, Khamenei adopted a defiant tone, labeling protesters as <em>\u201cvandals\u201d<\/em> and <em>\u201csaboteurs\u201d<\/em> during a speech broadcast on state television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He accused the United States of instigating the unrest and said former US president <strong>Donald Trump\u2019s<\/strong> hands were \u201cstained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians,\u201d referring to US-backed actions during a previous conflict involving Israel. Khamenei predicted that Trump would face the same fate as Iran\u2019s former monarchy, overthrown in the 1979 revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Islamic Republic was established through the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of honorable people and will not back down before saboteurs,\u201d Khamenei said, as supporters in attendance chanted anti-American slogans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump, responding late Thursday, said there was \u201cincredible enthusiasm\u201d to overthrow Iran\u2019s leadership and warned that severe consequences would follow if protesters were killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Verified videos reviewed by <strong>AFP<\/strong> showed large crowds and honking vehicles along Tehran\u2019s Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard, with demonstrators chanting against the supreme leader. Similar protests were reported in <strong>Tabriz<\/strong>, <strong>Mashhad<\/strong>, <strong>Kermanshah<\/strong>, and <strong>Isfahan<\/strong>, where footage showed fires at the entrance of a state television building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additional videos appeared to show flames at a governor\u2019s office in <strong>Shazand<\/strong>, though the images could not be independently verified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The protests mark the largest unrest since the 2022\u201323 demonstrations following the death of <strong>Mahsa Amini<\/strong> in police custody. Rights groups have alleged that security forces have fired on demonstrators in recent days, resulting in dozens of deaths, though footage from Tehran did not show visible security intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, <strong>Reza Pahlavi<\/strong>, son of Iran\u2019s last shah and now based in the United States, called for larger demonstrations on Friday, saying mass participation weakens the government\u2019s ability to repress dissent<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TEHRAN: Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday vowed that the government would not retreat in the face of nationwide protests, as demonstrations over rising living costs intensified and&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":222,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[57,84,87,85,86],"class_list":["post-221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-iran","tag-middle-east","tag-politics","tag-protests","tag-world-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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