Iran’s armed forces chief of staff said the country’s naval units were at an “extraordinary level of readiness” for any potential future conflict, state media reported on Tuesday.
Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, inspecting army and Revolutionary Guard naval forces in Hormozgan province, said “very significant steps” had been taken in the short period since the recent 12-day war.
An Iranian lawmaker said on Tuesday that the reimposition of UN sanctions under the snapback mechanism has pushed consumer prices up by as much as 30% but argued that the impact could be contained through effective management.
Alireza Nesari, a member of parliament’s construction committee, said that while the sanctions’ economic effects were “clear and visible,” Iran was familiar with such measures and had “good practice” in coping with them.
“The art of officials is to preserve internal unity and make conditions bearable for people,” he said, urging the government to secure basic goods, control currency and gold prices, and support households with food, housing, jobs and family incentives.
Nesari warned that failure to control inflation could trigger social unrest, and called on supervisory and security bodies to curb profiteering.
“If the government does not manage economic and livelihood conditions, people will certainly protest,” he said.
Haalvsh reported a heavy security presence from early morning, with forces stationed at key intersections to deter gatherings marking the 2022 crackdown, when security units opened fire around Zahedan’s Grand Mosalla and the Makki Mosque after Friday prayers.
Rights groups say at least 66 people were killed that day, with later tallies from Baluch activists and Iran Human Rights putting the toll at about 96–107 and more than 300 wounded.
Human Rights Watch documented unlawful lethal force in a December 22, 2022 report, and Amnesty International and other monitors have cited shots to the head, neck and torso.
A year later in 2023, protesters clashed with security forces in Zahedan on the anniversary, with rights groups reporting injuries and internet disruptions while authorities said the city was calm, Reuters reported then.
In September 2024, Iran's top Sunni cleric Mowlavi Abdolhamid publicly criticized Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei over the lack of accountability.
According to a report by the Center for Human Rights in Iran to mark the third anniversary, a trial of state perpetrators ended with light sentences for a handful of low-level officers and no punishment for senior commanders, calling it evidence of impunity and alleging families were pressured into silence.
Authorities have previously blamed “terrorists” and rioters for the 2022 bloodshed and said force was used to restore order, with provincial officials denying excessive force.
Iran’s judiciary spokesman said the reactivation of UN sanctions would have limited effect, while authorities pursue legal claims tied to a recent 12-day conflict.
“The effect of the snapback mechanism is neither such that we can say it has no effect, nor such that we can say the world will end because of its implementation, no,” Asghar Jahangir told reporters, calling the move by three European states illegal and largely psychological.
He said Iran is documenting damage and filing cases domestically and internationally over the 12-day war.
