Iran Protest: Khamenei says rioters must be put in place after Trump's warning over protests

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Demonstrations were held in the cities of Mashhad, Shiraz, Kermanshah and Malekshahi in Ilam as protests in Iran entered the seventh day. A video from Mashhad, shared by Iran International on X, shows protesters chanting 'death to the dictator'

Iran has issued a fresh warning to the United States and Israel, saying it would respond forcefully to any military action against it or its interests in the region, as per a report by Iran International.

Iranian lawmaker Esmail Kosari said any “action or adventurism” by Washington or Tel Aviv would trigger a response that would be “more powerful than in the past.” He cautioned that US bases and American interests across the region “will not see calm days” if Iran is targeted. Kosari added that both Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu should be under no illusion about Iran’s capabilities. If Tehran chooses to act, he said, it can deliver “far heavier blows,” warning that any move against Iran would be met with a response “firmer and more severe than before.”

Israel's Opposition leader Yair Lapid on Saturday warned Iran that it should take note of events in Venezuela after the US special forces captured Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro after strikes in Caracas.

“The regime in Iran should pay close attention to what is happening in Venezuela,” Lapid wrote on X.

At least 44 people were shot and wounded during six consecutive days of protests across Iran, according to findings by Iran International. The investigation points to the use of live ammunition and pellet guns by security forces, alongside widespread beatings carried out by uniformed personnel and plainclothes agents.

Iran International said its tally is based on incidents it could independently verify through field reporting and interviews with protesters, their families and other sources, and does not reflect the full scale of harm inflicted during the unrest.

Those shot were between 14 and 35 years old, while many others, aged roughly 15 to 40, suffered injuries from baton charges and physical assaults. Disturbingly, some of the injured were school-age children. Accounts collected by Iran International describe severe bruising, with at least one victim sustaining broken teeth after being beaten.

Merchants in Iran’s capital have announced plans to hold a coordinated protest gathering on Sunday, signalling a fresh round of unrest in one of the country’s most influential commercial and political spaces, as per a report by Iran International.

According to a statement circulated by the Telegram channel Civil Protest of the Bazaar, traders in the Tehran Bazaar will assemble at pre-decided locations within the market complex. The gathering, the statement said, is meant to sustain ongoing protests and press forward with long-standing demands voiced by shopkeepers and traders. The call frames the planned action as part of a broader, “nationwide movement seeking freedom, justice and dignity.” Merchants have been urged to continue their protest alongside the wider public until their objectives are met, underscoring a sense of solidarity between bazaar traders and other segments of Iranian society.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday said that protest and rioting are two different things and there was no use in talking to rioters.

“Protest is legitimate, but protest is different from rioting. We talk to protesters, but there is no use in talking to rioters. Rioters must be put in their place,” Khamenei was quoted as saying by Iran International.

The US Department of State said the treatment of families of those killed in Iran’s protests goes beyond repression, accusing authorities of targeting grieving relatives.

In a post on its Persian-language page, the department shared videos from funeral ceremonies and said it was cruel not only to silence people demanding their rights with lethal force, but also to harass families during burials.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday blamed foreign actors for the nationwide protests, alleging that people were being incited from outside the country to create insecurity, according to Iranian media.

Addressing a meeting with the agriculture minister and senior ministry officials, Pezeshkian said authorities must not allow “enemies” to succeed in their objectives and called for the formation of a task force to swiftly address the problems faced by merchants and businesses.

Ahmadreza Amani, a trainee lawyer, was shot dead by government agents during protests in Azna Lorestan, Iran International confirmed. Mohammad Hossein Jafari, head of the Yazd Bar Association, confirmed the killing and said he has written to the judiciary chief, seeking a full investigation into the incident.

Videos circulating on social media showed protesters assembling outside the main mosque in Iran's central city of Yazd, chanting slogans that included calls for the removal of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The footage also captures clashes as security forces stepped in to break up the gathering.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz on Friday brushed aside Iran’s letter seeking UN condemnation of President Donald Trump’s remarks on the protests. Calling the appeal hollow, Waltz said, "The Iranian regime's whining to the UN ignores decades of sponsoring terrorism and crushing their own people. America and [President Trump] stand firmly with Iranians yearning for freedom!"

On Friday, Canada revised its travel advisory for Iran, maintaining the "avoid all travel" warning and highlighting ongoing demonstrations over rising living costs and economic hardships.

"Canadians in Iran are likely to be subject to increased surveillance and scrutiny by Iranian authorities, including for activities and behaviors that would be considered normal in Canada, including taking photographs in public places, travelling to remote areas not usually frequented by tourists, and interacting with the local population," the advisory said. "Keep a low profile and don't share your personal information with strangers," it added.​

Iran has written to the UN Secretary-General and Security Council members objecting to United States President Donald Trump's post on the ongoing protests, Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported. In the letter, Tehran reportedly says it will "exercise self-defense decisively and proportionately" if the United States launches an attack.

Canadian Senator Leo Housakos expressed support for protesters in Iran, urging the international community to stand in solidarity with them.

"We should all be supporting a world where Iranians are free, Iran stops exporting terror, and the Ayatollahs' brutal reign ends. Stand with the people of Iran," the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Conservative caucus, posted on X on Friday.

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Friday warned that the United States would face "full responsibility for the consequences" if it intervenes in the ongoing protests, sharpening rhetoric as demonstrations continue across the country. The warning came hours after United States President Donald Trump and Tehran's top security official exchanged threats, deepening a crisis already marked by deadly clashes.

Iran's UN ambassador, Amir Saeed Iravani, has addressed a letter to the UN secretary-general and the Security Council president, calling on them to denounce what he described as "illegal threats" from US President Donald Trump amid the country's ongoing protests.In the letter, Iravani called on UN chief Antonio Guterres and Security Council members to "unequivocally and firmly" condemn Trump's "reckless provocative statements, saying that they constituted a "serious violation" of the UN Charter and the international law. 

UK Conservative MP and former security minister Tom Tugendhat said senior figures within Iran's establishment may already be approaching foreign intelligence agencies, offering up secrets in exchange for protection in the event of a government collapse.

"How many senior regime officials are reaching out to foreign intelligence officials and trading secrets for security when the regime collapses? The leadership will be suspicious that many are looking for safe landing but paranoia won't help many of the leaders are doing it too," he said in a post on X.

Nationwide protests and bazaar shutdowns in Iran continued for a seventh straight day, leaving at least eight protesters dead and dozens detained, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

The unrest began on Monday with market closures in Tehran and has since spread to 113 locations across 46 cities in 22 provinces. HRANA said demonstrations were reported from cities including Mashhad, Zahedan, Qazvin, Hamadan and Tehran, amid heavy security deployment, use of force by authorities and fresh arrests.

The US State Department has shared a video showing ongoing protests across Iranian cities, saying the demonstrations were fuelled by public anger over curbs on freedom, loss of dignity and shortages of basic necessities. 

"Today marks the sixth day of protests in cities across Iran. The protesters' demands are entirely clear: Iranians are exhausted from living without freedom and dignity, and without their basic needs being met, while officials lead lavish lives and send Iran's money abroad to fund assassinations. The brave resistance of Iranians in the face of hardships deserves admiration," the State Department said in a post on X.