Security presence tightens in Mashhad, report alleges covert arrest tactics

Interior Ministry deputy Mohammad Bat’haei said on Wednesday that Iran must preserve what he called social cohesion amid economic turbulence, warning against efforts to use financial pressure to fuel what he described as hostile psychological operations.

“Economic fluctuations are not just a matter of numbers and statistics; they directly affect people’s livelihoods, psychological calm and social relations,” he said.

“Today the war is not only on the military field; the main war is the war of wills and social cohesion,” he said.

Battahai said citizens should avoid spreading rumors and maintain calm, adding that “every hopeless message, every rumor and every false polarization” could serve hostile aims.

He said authorities are monitoring social conditions and said officials should factor social considerations and expert input into managing the situation.

Protesters in several Iranian cities chanted a range of political slogans on Tuesday night, according to videos received by Iran International.

Footage showed protesters in the western city of Hamadan chanting “Javid Shah,” a slogan associated with Iran’s former monarchy.

In Arak, demonstrators were heard chanting “This is the final battle, Pahlavi will return,” invoking the name of the former ruling dynasty that was overthrown in 1979.

Separately, video from Sabzevar in northeastern Iran showed protesters chanting “After all these years of crimes, death to this rule,” a slogan directly targeting the clerical system.

Iran’s prosecutor general said on Wednesday that any attempt to turn economic protests into insecurity or damage to public property would be met with a “legal, proportionate and decisive” response, as demonstrations continued across Iran.

Mohammad Movahedi-Azad said peaceful livelihood protests were understandable and should be addressed through legal channels.

But he warned against what he described as organized exploitation of legitimate demands.

“What we cannot be indifferent to is structured misuse of these legitimate demands,” he said, referring to “directed media networks, distorted narratives, and the use of deceived individuals or those who disrupt public order.”

Movahedi-Azad said efforts to convert protests into public disorder, property damage, or scenarios designed from outside the country would trigger a firm legal response.

Iranian security forces were deployed in the city of Karaj on Wednesday, with videos showing officers stationed under the Azadegan Bridge amid reports of a heavy security atmosphere.

Footage sent to Iran International showed security personnel gathered beneath the bridge, a major traffic artery linking parts of the city.

Two major universities in Tehran said on Wednesday they would hold classes online until the end of the current semester, as protests and strikes expanded across Iran, citing cold weather and energy imbalances.

Allameh Tabataba’i University and Shahid Beheshti University announced that in-person classes would be suspended through the remainder of the 1404–1405 first semester.

The Education Ministry’s deputy said the decision was taken “due to cold weather and problems caused by energy shortages, and in order to ensure student welfare.”

The announcement came as universities have emerged as focal points of protest activity, with student demonstrations reported across Tehran over the past several days.