President Masoud Pezeshkian strikes conciliatory tone in interview broadcast on state TV however accuses US and Israel of fuelling unrest that has killed dozens.
Revealed On 11 Jan 2026
President Masoud Pezeshkian has pledged to overtake Iran’s struggling financial system, saying his authorities is “able to take heed to its folks” after two weeks of more and more violent nationwide demonstrations.
Pezeshkian adopted a conciliatory method throughout a televised interview on state tv on Sunday, saying his embattled administration was decided to resolve the nation’s financial issues whereas accusing the US and Israel of fomenting lethal unrest.
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The disaster erupted after the Iranian foreign money plummeted in late December after years of financial duress, triggering mass protests over hovering dwelling prices and inflation. These protests have since taken on a extra political and antigovernment nature.
The president accused the US and Israel of making an attempt to “sow chaos and dysfunction” by directing parts of the unrest and referred to as on Iranians to distance themselves from what he described as “rioters and terrorists”.
The demonstrations are the biggest in Iran since a 2022-2023 protest motion spurred by the dying in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the strict gown code for girls.
“Folks have issues. We must always sit with them, and whether it is our responsibility, we should always resolve their issues,” Pezeshkian stated. “However the larger responsibility is to not permit a bunch of rioters to return and destroy the complete society.”
Tohid Asadi, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Tehran, stated Iranian officers had spent the previous week making an attempt to attract a distinction between protesters and what they described as foreign-trained rioters.
Asadi added that senior officers had acknowledged public anger as justified, citing “hovering costs, excessive inflation and the drastic devaluation of the native foreign money that proper now places an enormous quantity of stress on the pockets of native folks”.
State media reported that 109 safety personnel have been killed through the protests.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf bolstered a distinction between peaceable and armed demonstrators throughout remarks to lawmakers on Sunday, saying Iran recognised “folks’s peaceable protests over financial issues” however would stand in opposition to “terrorists”.
A former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, Qalibaf additionally issued a stark warning to Washington after US President Donald Trump threatened army motion if Iranian authorities kill demonstrators.
“Within the case of an assault on Iran, the occupied territories [Israel] in addition to all US bases and ships can be our official goal,” he stated as some lawmakers reportedly chanted anti-American slogans.
Trump had declared on social media that the US stood “prepared to assist” Iran, suggesting potential strikes however ruling out floor troops. His feedback represented a big escalation as Tehran faces its most critical home problem in years.
The Ministry of Inside claimed the unrest is subsiding as Iran’s lawyer normal warned individuals they might face capital punishment. A nationwide web blackout has endured for greater than 60 hours, in keeping with monitoring teams.
Human rights organisations reported no less than 51 protesters have been killed by safety forces, together with 9 youngsters, with a whole lot extra injured and mass arrests carried out throughout the nation.
