The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) forces have identified and arrested ringleaders and terrorist elements involved in the recent foreign-linked riots in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan Province, confiscating various types of lethal weapons from them.
In a statement released on Sunday, an IRGC spokesman said that those detained are charged with killing the innocent, damaging public and private property, disrupting public order, and terrorising people, as well as destroying holy places, including shrines and mosques.
The terrorists had been tasked by foreign agencies to commit acts of sabotage and arson, kill people, assassinate leaders, and create ethnic division.
The detainees had also been assigned to dismantle vital infrastructure such as water and electricity, gas, telephone and oil pipelines, and attack military facilities and police stations.
The IRGC’s provincial unit expressed its appreciation to the people of Khuzestan for their cooperation in apprehending the armed mercenaries.
It added that its forces stand ready to sacrifice their lives in order to foil the enemies’ plots and maintain peace and security.
Last month, some shopkeepers staged peaceful protests in different Iranian cities over economic grievances, which are directly linked to unilateral US sanctions.
The demonstrations, however, were steered toward violence after public statements by United States and Israeli regime figures encouraged vandalism and disorder.
During the unrest, foreign-backed armed rioters damaged public property and caused casualties among civilians and security forces.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that many of the agents behind the rioting had been identified, trained, and largely recruited by American and Israeli agencies.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Sunday that any attack on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would be considered a declaration of ‘all-out war’ against the Iranian nation, following a sharp exchange of rhetoric with US President Donald Trump.
Pezeshkian’s comments, came amid heightened tensions after Trump said on Saturday that it was ‘time to look for new leadership in Iran.’
Pezeshkian stated: ‘Any attack on our great leader will be tantamount to an all-out war against the Iranian nation.’
On Saturday, Khamenei labelled Trump a ‘criminal’, holding him responsible for casualties and damage sustained during recent periods of domestic unrest in Iran.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said these recent terrorist riots were yet another defeat for the United States and Israeli regimes after the failure of their joint military aggression against Iran in June last year.
‘The Zionist regime (Israel) aims to weaken and disintegrate Muslim nations with the purpose of dominating them,’ Qalibaf said in a meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Tehran on Sunday.
He added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main strategy has been to undermine the independence and power of regional countries and sow discord among them.
He cautioned that the Israeli regime tries to win the support of the US and European countries and exploit the regional situation in an attempt to become the dominant military power in the region.
The Israeli regime, backed by the US, launched the military aggression against Iran in mid-June 2025, believing that they could destroy Iran’s power in the aerospace field.
However, Qalibaf said, they failed to achieve their goals thanks to the great efforts of the Armed Forces and the Iranian nation’s prudence.
In line with this objective, the Israeli regime carried out another ‘terrorist war’ against Iran over the past few days, with the backing of Trump, who openly pledged to support terrorists, he emphasised.
Qalibaf concluded: ‘They thought that they could conduct a terrorist act from within Iran and then, when the country had been destabilised, launch a military attack from outside.’
He said that during the recent riots, they’d taken actions that were far more violent than the terrorist activities in Syria and Iraq; however, the Iranian security forces swiftly arrested their ringleaders.
Pezeshkian on Saturday flagged the direct US-Israeli role in the recent terrorist riots in Iran, as Russian President Vladimir Putin said the million-strong rallies held afterward demonstrated the country’s ‘real conditions.’
Speaking during a phone conversation with Putin, Pezeshkian reviewed the latest developments in Iran, where peaceful economic protests were hijacked and deliberately turned into organised violence last week.
However, Pezeshkian pointed out: ‘Our approach in domestic policy is based on the people, and all our efforts are focused on hearing the rightful demands of the nation and reducing the problems caused by cruel sanctions.’
He added that the massive and epic participation of Iranians in nationwide rallies last Monday foiled the rioters’ plots.
‘The great Iranian nation, through its epic and millions-strong presence within a short time after these incidents, put an end to the riots, Pezeshkian said.
He also thanked Russia for its support for Iran at the United Nations and other international forums.
Elsewhere in the conversation, Pezeshkian pointed to ‘very good’ cooperation between Tehran and Moscow in trade, investment, transportation, power generation and energy.
He said joint Iran-Russia projects are progressing at a high level, with their implementation monitored on a weekly basis and no reported problems.
Putin, for his part, said Russia is closely and carefully following developments in Iran.
He described the recent unrest as resembling ‘colour revolution’ scenarios, while acknowledging that long-term sanctions have contributed to economic and social challenges in the country.
‘We fully understand that economic and social problems may arise due to the impact of long-term unjust sanctions,’ Putin said, adding, however, that riots and violent disorder have no connection to peaceful and civil protest, according to the Iranian president’s office.
The Russian president condemned attacks on state, public and religious facilities as well as violent assaults on security and law enforcement forces, noting that such acts ad been carried out with foreign backing.
He said the participation of millions of Iranians in rallies supporting their system, leadership and government ‘clearly reflects the real conditions in Iran.’
Putin expressed hope that the Iranian government’s economic measures would lead to improved conditions and said Russia’s diplomatic efforts are ongoing to clarify Iran’s positions and prevent an escalation of tensions in international arenas.
He also reaffirmed that Moscow has always welcomed the expansion of relations with Tehran, adding that joint projects are proceeding satisfactorily and that upcoming meetings of the two countries’ joint economic commission would explore further cooperation.
On the same day, the Kremlin said Putin also spoke separately with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of Russia’s efforts to help prevent further escalation in the region.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the situation remained ‘highly tense’ and that Moscow was continuing its contacts to encourage de-escalation.
The unrest in Iran, which initially stemmed from currency volatility and rising inflation linked to unlawful US and European sanctions, escalated on January 8th when coordinated attacks targeted public, state and religious sites.
Armed groups attacked shops, banks, bus stations and mosques, killing a number of security personnel and civilians.
Authorities say evidence shows foreign-backed terrorist groups distributed weapons, deliberately targeted civilians and security forces, and acted with the direct involvement of the United States and Israel.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has, over the past days, repeatedly threatened to attack Iran if, as he put it, the country kills what he has termed ‘peaceful protesters’.
Observers believe the Israeli regime is pushing to make the US enter into a direct military war with Iran, as traces of Mossad (Israeli secret intelligence service) agents have been found among what is framed as ‘peaceful protests’ by Western media.
