Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards have issued a chilling declaration that safeguarding the Islamic Republic is a “red line,” signaling a dramatic and bloody intensification of the state crackdown as nationwide anti-government protests explode into open street battles, fires, and calls for the regime’s overthrow.
A day after U.S. President Donald Trump warned, “You better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting too,” Iran’s security apparatus blamed “terrorists” for the unrest and vowed to protect the “country’s strategic infrastructure” with overwhelming force. The elite IRGC, which has brutally suppressed past uprisings, reported clashes with “armed rioters” and the deaths of multiple security personnel, framing the protests as a foreign-backed insurgency requiring a military solution.
“Seize City Centres”: The Exiled Prince’s Call for Revolt
The protests, which began on December 28 over soaring inflation, have rapidly evolved into a direct political challenge. In his strongest statement yet, Reza Pahlavi, the U.S.-based exiled son of Iran’s last shah, called for the movement to escalate into a full-scale revolt. “Our goal is no longer merely to come into the streets; the goal is to prepare to seize city centres and hold them,” Pahlavi declared in a video, claiming the Islamic Republic would be brought “to its knees” and vowing to return to Iran soon.
On the ground, the violence is escalating. State media broadcast footage of funerals for security forces killed in Shiraz, Qom, and Hamedan, while showing a municipal building set ablaze in Karaj. Verified social media videos show large nighttime crowds in Tehran chanting “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to Khamenei!” A witness in western Iran told Reuters the Revolutionary Guards were deployed and “opening fire” in their area.
Meanwhile, the human cost is mounting under the cover of a nationwide internet blackout. The Iranian rights group HRANA reports at least 65 people killed—50 protesters and 15 security personnel—and some 2,300 arrested. A doctor in northwestern Iran provided a harrowing account, stating hospitals had received a large influx of injured protesters since Friday.
“Some were badly beaten, suffering head injuries and broken legs and arms, as well as deep cuts,” the doctor said. “At least 20 people in one hospital had been shot with live ammunition, five of whom later died.”
Why It Matters
The regime faces its most serious internal challenge in years, with the regular army now echoing the IRGC’s hardline stance. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has already accused protesters of being “mercenaries for foreigners” acting on behalf of Trump, who has repeatedly included Iran on a list of potential targets after his military intervention in Venezuela.
