Iran Protests: President Orders Security Forces Not to Crack Down on Protesters, Distinguish Them From Rioters

Iran’s President Orders Security Forces to Avoid Crackdown as Economic Protests Continue

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered security forces not to crack down on ongoing economic protests, instructing authorities to clearly distinguish between peaceful demonstrators and armed “rioters,” Iranian officials said on Wednesday.

The directive comes as protests continue across several Iranian cities, fueled by rising prices, economic hardship, and a sharp currency collapse. Demonstrations began on December 28 with a shopkeepers’ strike in Tehran and have since spread to other parts of the country.

According to Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), at least 27 protesters have been killed since the unrest began. Iranian state media, citing official sources, have reported 13 deaths, including members of the security forces and a police officer who was fatally shot on Tuesday.

In a video released by the Mehr news agency following a cabinet meeting, Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said President Pezeshkian had “ordered that no security measures be taken against demonstrators.”

He added that authorities must differentiate between protesters and those engaging in violence. “Individuals carrying firearms, knives, or machetes and attacking police stations or military sites are rioters,” Ghaempanah said.

Military Warning and International Reaction

Meanwhile, Iranian Army Commander General Amir Hatami warned that Tehran would not tolerate external threats, saying Iran would respond forcefully if provoked.

“If the enemy makes a mistake, Iran’s response will be more robust than during last June’s war,” Hatami said, according to the Fars news agency, referring to the 12-day conflict with Israel.

The protests have drawn international attention. U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Washington could intervene if demonstrators were killed, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly voiced support for the protesters.

“We’re watching it very closely,” Trump said on Sunday. “If they start killing people like they have in the past, they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States.”

Netanyahu told Israel’s cabinet that his government stood “in solidarity with the struggle of the Iranian people and their aspirations for freedom, liberty, and justice.”

Protests Reach Tehran’s Grand Bazaar

The demonstrations have recently reached Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, a central hub of Iran’s economy, marking a significant escalation. On Tuesday, clashes broke out there for the first time since the protests began.

Police used tear gas to disperse crowds, with some gas drifting into nearby medical facilities. Iran’s ISNA news agency reported that tear gas was deployed in an alley adjacent to Sina Hospital, located about two kilometers from the bazaar. Authorities denied claims that gas was intentionally fired at the hospital.

By Wednesday, calm appeared to have returned to parts of the capital. AFP reporters observed residents in Tehran’s Vali Asr district going about their daily business as usual.

While the current protests have not yet reached the scale of Iran’s 2009 post-election unrest or the 2022–2023 demonstrations, they continue to attract global scrutiny amid heightened regional tensions and economic strain.