Iran’s state media say dozens of members of the security forces have been killed during protests sparked by a deepening economic crisis, as senior officials warned the United States and Israel of retaliation if Iran is attacked.
State television reported on Sunday that at least 36 police and security personnel were killed in recent unrest, including 30 in Isfahan province and six in Kermanshah in western Iran.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency put the nationwide death toll among security forces at 109.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said a staff member was killed when one of its relief buildings came under attack in Gorgan, the capital of Golestan province. State media also reported that a mosque was set ablaze in the eastern city of Mashhad on Saturday night.
The reports came as authorities intensified efforts to quell the largest protests Iran has seen in years, driven by soaring inflation, rising living costs and an economy battered by Western sanctions. Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets since late December.
The Ministry of Interior said the unrest, which it describes as “riots”, is gradually subsiding, while the attorney general warned that some participants could face the death penalty.
Ali Larijani, a senior security official, accused some demonstrators of carrying out acts resembling those of ISIL (ISIS), saying they had “killed people or burned people”.Hassan Ahmadian, an academic at Tehran University, told Al Jazeera that demonstrations which began peacefully turned violent on Thursday, calling it “one of the scariest days in Iran, including in Tehran”. He said clashes have since declined as confrontations with violent groups increased.
Iran’s police chief, Ahmad-Reza Rada, said authorities have stepped up their response to what they describe as rioters.
In a statement on Saturday, the Iranian army said it would protect the country’s “national interests”, accusing Israel and “hostile terrorist groups” of attempting to undermine public security as the protests spread. It said the armed forces would safeguard strategic infrastructure and public property while monitoring enemy movements in the region.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday that the US and Israel were seeking to “sow chaos and disorder” in Iran, urging citizens to distance themselves from what he called “rioters and terrorists”. He also addressed economic reforms and public demands.Speaking in parliament, Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned Washington against what he described as a “miscalculation”, following threats by US President Donald Trump of military action if protesters are killed.
“In the event of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories [Israel], as well as all US bases and ships, will be legitimate targets,” said Qalibaf, a former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said the remarks marked a new level of rhetorical escalation, noting that authorities are attempting to distinguish between peaceful protesters and what they call rioters or saboteurs. Some lawmakers reportedly shouted “Death to America!” during the parliamentary session.
The current demonstrations are the largest since the 2022–23 protests that followed the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.