On the sixth day of nationwide protests in Iran, gatherings and marches continued in a number of cities, and during the funerals of three slain protesters, chants were raised against the Iranian regime. At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump said that if Iran’s regime kills peaceful protesters, the United States will come to their aid.
Protesting citizens in the city of Zahedan, the capital of Sistan and Baluchestan province in southeastern Iran, on Friday, January 2, on the sixth day of nationwide protests, chanted slogans including “Death to the dictator,” “Death to Khamenei,” “Khamenei, have shame, let go of the country,” “We swear by the blood of our comrades, we will stand to the end,” and “Iranian, shout out, cry out for your rights.”
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Those killed in the protests
The PMOI released the names and particulars of eight protesters killed by the regime’s security forces in recent protests, including a 15-year-old. The death toll is larger and the opposition is investigating into the details.
Various sources confirmed by noon on January 2 the identities of five protesters killed in the cities of Kuhdasht, Fuladshahr, Marvdasht, Azna, and Lordegan.
Amirhossein Khodayari-Fard, Daryoush Ansari Bakhtiarvand, Khodadad Shirvani-Monfared, Shayan Asadollahi, and Ahmad Jalil are the five slain protesters whose identities have been confirmed.
The funerals of Shirvani, Ansari, and Khodayari-Fard were held on January 2 in the cities of Marvdasht, Kuhdasht, and Fuladshahr, despite the heavy presence of security forces.
Participants in these ceremonies chanted slogans including “This flower has been torn apart and has become a gift to the homeland,” “Death to Khamenei,” and “Basij, IRGC, you are ISIS to us.”
Videos published on social media also show that protesting citizens held a protest march after the end of Shirvani’s funeral ceremony.
At the same time, images published showed that participants in Khodayari-Fard’s funeral drove away regime forces present at the ceremony, including members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij militia.
Reaction to the protests
U.S. President Donald Trump, referring to the ongoing protests in Iran, wrote on the Truth Social platform that “if Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters,” the US would intervene, adding, “We are locked and loaded.”
In this message, Trump emphasized that, according to him, violently killing protesters is the usual practice of Iran’s regime and that Washington will respond under such circumstances.
Trump also announced that the United States is on “full alert” and ready to take action.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, wrote on X: “The American people should know that Trump started the adventurism and should watch over their soldiers.”
Larijani added: “With the positions taken by Israeli officials and Trump, the behind-the-scenes of the matter became clear. We distinguish between the positions of protesting shopkeepers and destructive elements, and Trump should know that U.S. interference in this internal issue is equal to destabilizing the entire region and destroying U.S. interests.”
Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the foreign ministry of the Iranian regime, also wrote on his X account that Iranians, through dialogue and interaction with one another to resolve problems, “will not allow any form of foreign interference.”
Ali Shamkhani, a member of Iran’s regime Defense Council, also wrote on X: “Any interfering hand that approaches Iran’s security under pretexts will be cut off with a regret-inducing response before it reaches its goal.”
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the regime’s parliament, also wrote: “The disrespectful president of America should know that all American centers and forces throughout the entire region will be legitimate targets for us in response to any potential adventurism.”
