Iran's attorney general labels protesters “enemies of God,” warns death penalty

Iran's Attorney General Mohammad Movahedi Azad warned that anyone protesting would be considered an "enemy of God," an offence that carries the death penalty.

This comes as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed demonstrators as a "bunch of vandals" seeking to "please" Trump, Caliber.Az reports via British media.

According to the attorney general, prosecutors must act swiftly to prepare trials against those undermining national security, showing no leniency or compassion.

The protests in Iran began on December 28, 2025, when shopkeepers and merchants in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and other commercial centres closed their businesses to join demonstrations over a worsening economic crisis, driven by soaring inflation, rising food prices, and the Iranian rial’s sharp decline.

The nationwide death toll has reached at least 544, including 496 protesters and 48 security personnel, with many more feared dead amid the government’s violent crackdown.

On January 11, Iranian authorities declared three days of national mourning “in honour of martyrs killed in resistance against the United States and the Zionist regime,” according to state media.

By Jeyhun Aghazada