Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday (January 31, 2026) that U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Europe had stirred tensions in the recent protests that gripped the country and “provoked” people.
A U.S.-based rights group said on Monday (January 26, 2026) it had confirmed the deaths of nearly 6,000 people during a wave of protests in Iran suppressed by security forces, as Tehran warned Washington against intervening.
The protests started in late December, driven by economic grievances, but turned into a mass movement against the Islamic republic, with huge street demonstrations for several days from January 8.
