Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Saturday that safeguarding security was a "red line" and the military vowed to protect public property, as the clerical establishment stepped up efforts to quell the most widespread protests in years.

Protests have spread across much of Iran over the last two weeks, beginning in response to soaring inflation, but quickly turned political with protesters demanding an end to clerical rule. SHOWS: TEHRAN, IRAN (RELEASED JANUARY 9, 2026) (SOCIAL MEDIA – No resales/No archive/News use only)

Footage verified by BBC Persian shows buildings on fire in the Iranian capital, Tehran, as anti-government protests spread across the country. Video from Thursday shows mosques in the Gholhak and Sa'adat Abad neighbourhoods of Tehran on fire.

The exiled son of Iran's late shah, Reza Pahlavi, on Friday appealed to US President Donald Trump to intervene urgently as protesters gathered in the Islamic republic. | World News

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday Teheran was in a "full-scale war" with its enemies as it tackles an economic crisis which has sparked mass protests in the country.

"I'm not in the police to kill people," says one Iranian officer as the regime vows to continue its protest crackdown.