Iran's security chief: Radical groups using terror-like violence in protests

Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, has emphasised the need to distinguish between popular protests and riots.

Larijani stated that “the protests are caused by economic difficulties, which, as the Supreme Leader of the Revolution has noted, is an understandable phenomenon,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Iranian media. 

He stressed that the pursuit of economic stability, especially in the currency market, requires protecting the rights of the people and entrepreneurs.

“However, alongside these protests, a destructive and organised movement has emerged that has nothing to do with the economic demands of the people. This movement has exploited the context of the protests and engaged in extremely violent and criminal behaviour, including killings, arson, and acts of violence very similar to the methods used by terrorist groups such as ISIS,” he emphasised.

He also noted that, according to available data, a significant number of law enforcement officers have been injured, and some have died. There are also casualties among civilians.

Protests in Iran have been ongoing since December 28, 2025, when shopkeepers and merchants in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and other commercial centres shut their shops and took to the streets to protest a deepening economic crisis marked by soaring inflation, skyrocketing food prices and the sharp collapse of the Iranian rial to record lows.

What began as demonstrations against economic hardship quickly spread to other major cities and provinces, drawing students, workers and ordinary citizens. Demonstrators initially called for measures to stabilise the currency and improve living conditions but soon broadened their demands to include political change and criticism of the country’s leadership.

By Khagan Isayev