Iranian President Pezeshkian vowed a decisive crackdown on price gouging and hoarding as nationwide protests entered their 12th day, following the reported death of a policeman during unrest near Tehran. The president, considered a relative moderate, pledged that citizens “should not feel any shortage in terms of goods’ supply and distribution” in an effort to calm demonstrators frustrated by soaring prices and economic hardship.
The demonstrations, the largest since 2022, have seen protesters block streets, close shops, and defy authorities, tearing down statues of Qasem Soleimani and desecrating national flags. Human rights groups and foreign governments have condemned the violent response by Iranian security forces. Amnesty International denounced an assault on the Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ilam, where police reportedly fired shotguns and tear gas and attacked medical workers, calling the incident “savage” and illustrative of the regime’s willingness to crush dissent.
Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last shah, encouraged further demonstrations on social media, warning that the government was attempting to cut off internet access to quell protests. Meanwhile, President Pezeshkian urged police to exercise restraint even as the death toll rises, now at least 36 people since the protests began. His authority, however, remains secondary to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who has vowed to “put the protesters in their place.”
The unrest has gained added intensity following threats from former US President Donald Trump, who warned that continued killings could trigger a “hard” military response. Some demonstrators have welcomed the warnings, with one Tehran street temporarily renamed “Trump Street” in social media footage. Iranian officials, in turn, have condemned foreign rhetoric, with Major General Amir Hatami stating that the Islamic Republic “will not tolerate” hostile threats and will respond accordingly.
