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The Iranian police intelligence agency has issued thousands of gun permits to senior state officials in what a hacktivist group described as an unprecedented response to fear of internal reprisals.
Edalaat-e Ali, a group that has previously leaked surveillance footage and official documents, said the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic authorized the distribution of over 3,000 pistols to senior government officials.
The weapons, including stun guns and pepper spray, were issued following a clearance process involving three levels of vetting.
"This extraordinary move reveals the extent to which Iran’s leadership anticipates retaliatory action from its own citizens," Edalaat-e Ali wrote on X, saying the measure stemmed from fears that officials would be identified in future uprisings.
The group’s report could not be immediately verified by Iran International, but Iran has seen mounting tensions over economic hardship, water scarcity and political repression in recent months.
According to security sources cited by Edaalat-e Ali, personnel within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Intelligence Ministry had already received similar equipment for years.
The report surfaced shortly after farmers in central Iran torched a water transfer station in Isfahan province, disrupting supply to Yazd, amid a long-running dispute over access to the Zayandeh Rud river.
In January, two Supreme Court judges and clerics Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini, both were shot dead in Tehran in a rare deadly attack on senior officials.
The assailant, a staff member responsible for refreshments at Iran's judiciary headquarters, committed suicide after the shooting. The judges were stalwart ideologues who had handed down harsh sentences on dissidents for decades.
“If the enemies think they can instigate sedition within the country, the Iranian nation itself will respond,” said Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday.
Security directives have tightened nationwide, particularly at police stations and military facilities, according to the hacktivist group.
Edalaat-e Ali added that daily visitor numbers are now capped and ammunition stores reduced, citing fears that weapons could fall into civilian hands in case of a takeover.
The Iranian government’s response to public dissatisfaction has largely been marked by repression, including what happened in the wake of the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in September 2022.
The tragedy triggered widespread protests across the country under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom".
What began as outrage over Amini’s death rapidly transformed into a broader movement against the government, driven by long-standing political and social grievances. Authorities responded with mass arrests and a forceful crackdown, leading to over 500 deaths among demonstrators, according to rights groups and the United Nations.
Despite the efforts to silence dissent, the likelihood of future unrest remains high, not least as at least one third of the country now lives below the poverty line.
Years of economic mismanagement, widespread corruption, and the weight of international sanctions have deepened crises like fuel shortages and power outages, compounding public anger.
The government’s reluctance to raise fuel prices—mindful of the deadly 2019 protests—highlights its recognition of the growing risk of renewed demonstrations.
Citing open-source aviation data, a Haaretz analysis reports that the US military has undertaken its most significant offensive deployment to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023.
The analysis details that in March, at least 140 heavy US transport aircraft originating from key US military bases landed in Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan, with mid-flight data indicating most were carrying equipment.
This buildup marks an approximate 50 percent increase over the previous monthly peak in US military flights to the region and includes the arrival of fighter jets, such as A-10 ground-attack aircraft deployed to Jordan and stealth F-35s sent to Saudi Arabia, accompanied by transport and refueling planes identified through flight-tracking platforms.
Satellite imagery also reveals the deployment of at least six B-2 stealth bombers, roughly a third of the US Air Force's fleet, to the US base on Diego Garcia, a location previously used for bombing missions in Afghanistan and Iraq within striking distance of both Iran and Yemen.
Ahmad Zeidabadi, a prominent political commentator in Tehran, has warned that placing excessive emphasis on Iran’s military capabilities—along with threats to develop nuclear weapons—could backfire and undermine the very deterrence it aims to achieve.
In a post on his Telegram channel, Zeidabadi wrote, “Military power aimed at confronting what is referred to as the ‘global order,’ if it exceeds its conventional bounds, turns into a threat itself rather than serving as a deterrent.”
Following widespread reports of Ali Larijani's warning that US threats could push Iran towards nuclear weapons, the advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader today highlighted another part of his Monday interview, urging President Trump to consider mutual economic interests with Tehran.
Larijani, in remarks republished on social media platform X, said, "Mr. Trump is a talented person who has been able to become so wealthy in his business. The US can define economic interests with Iran."
He added, "Trump says he is peace-loving, so he should not talk about threats and war. An attack on Iran is not without consequences, and we have experienced military commanders."
These comments, also part of his Monday interview with state television, come after Larijani explicitly said that a US or Israeli bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities would compel Tehran to alter its decision-making on nuclear weapons.
He had said that while Iran currently maintains it is not pursuing nuclear arms and IAEA inspections can continue indefinitely, external threats could force a change, driven by public demand for national security.
Larijani's earlier remarks, widely seen as a significant statement from a senior figure in Iran's establishment, followed US President Trump's threats of potential military action against Iran if a nuclear deal is not reached.
Kuwait's Emir has assured the Iranian president that Kuwait will not allow any aggressive action to be launched against another country from its territory, according to a readout of the call published by Iran's state media.
During a phone call where the leaders exchanged Eid al-Fitr greetings, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah said, "The government and people of Kuwait, based on the constitution, will under no circumstances accept that an act of aggression be carried out from our soil against another country, and this position will never be affected by any factor," IRNA reported.
President Masoud Pezeshkian responded by saying that Iran, based on its Islamic beliefs, is ready for any cooperation to expand relations with Kuwait and other neighbors in various fields to deepen ties.
He also said that in resolving tensions, Iran will act solely based on rights and fairness, adhering strictly to these principles.
The Kuwaiti Emir's remarks, as reported by the Iranian media, come against a backdrop of reports indicating that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait have privately informed Iran they will not permit the United States to use their air bases for potential military action against Iran.
According to a Saudi source cited by an i24NEWS correspondent on X, Riyadh and Kuwait specifically conveyed to Tehran that this prohibition includes support operations such as refueling or reconnaissance for any such attack.
In a separate call with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Pezeshkian conveyed his hopes that the blessings of Ramadan would bolster unity among Islamic nations, expressing Iran's ambition to enhance ties with neighboring and Islamic countries.
