Israeli minister urges global support for Iran protests

Dariush Ansari Bakhtiarvand, a 37-year-old protester from Fooladshahr in Iran’s Isfahan, was killed by direct gunfire during overnight demonstrations on Wednesday, according to information received by Iran International.

Ansari, sources said, was shot by government forces during the protests and died before reaching hospital. Iran International had verified his identity and reviewed video footage showing his body.

He was targeted while participating in the demonstrations, a relative told Iran International. The head of Isfahan province’s criminal police confirmed the death of a “37-year-old citizen” in Fooladshahr on Wednesday night, without giving details.

The human rights group Hengaw also said he was killed by direct fire from security forces.

Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said she hopes 2026 will mark the end of what she called the “dark prefix” of the Islamic Republic from Iran’s name.

In a New Year message posted on Instagram, Ebadi described 2025 as “a year of successive hardships” for Iranians, saying living standards deteriorated, children suffered more harm, and women faced “double discrimination and wider insecurity,” with femicide becoming “a harsher reality than ever under the law.”

Writing amid the fifth day of protests in Iran, Ebadi said universities had become more unsafe for students, medical staff were under greater pressure, and workers, retirees and teachers endured relentless economic strain.

Nearly 2,000 people, she said, were executed in Iran in 2025, calling the figure not a statistic but an “official record of state violence.”

Despite the suffering, Ebadi said 2025 was also “a year of resilience,” expressing hope that 2026 would bring lasting freedom, kindness and hope to the Iranian people.

Iranians are openly rejecting the Islamic Republic, Israel’s foreign ministry said on Thursday, commenting on ongoing protests across the country.

In a post on X, the ministry’s Persian-language account said: “The people of Iran are present in the streets with a loud voice and declare that they do not want this government.”

The authorities have poured public funds “into the throats of terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis,” while pushing Iran’s economy “to the brink of collapse” in pursuit of nuclear ambitions, the account added.

Speaking at a meeting with political and social activists in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Pezeshkian said the 28,500-toman dollar – one of several preferential exchange rates used in Iran – would no longer be allocated.

“Anyone who received the 28,500-toman dollar pocketed it, so we will not give it out anymore,” Pezeshkian said, arguing that multiple exchange rates had benefited intermediaries rather than consumers.

Iran has long used subsidized exchange rates to support imports of basic goods and curb inflation, but critics say the system has encouraged corruption and widened inequality, particularly as sanctions and high inflation have strained the economy.

Pezeshkian said the government had spent about $18 billion on subsidies, adding that the funds could be used more effectively to improve living standards.

“We have given $18 billion in subsidies, when with this amount we could plan so that everyone’s table is the same,” he said.

Late last month, Hossein Samsami, a member of parliament’s economic committee, said more than $116 billion in export earnings had not been repatriated since 2018, citing official non-oil export data.

The president added that subsidies would not be eliminated but redirected to end consumers rather than producers or intermediaries. He said foreign currency allocations for sectors such as livestock feed would be moved to the final stage of the production chain.

“We are not removing subsidies; we are giving them to the final consumer,” Pezeshkian said.

Iran operates several exchange rates, including a market rate that trades far weaker than official or subsidized levels, creating price gaps that economists say incentivize arbitrage.

The preferential exchange rate system was introduced in April 2018 under former president Hassan Rouhani, when the dollar was fixed at 42,000 rials in an effort to stabilize prices amid mounting sanctions.

Iran’s economy has been under sustained pressure from US sanctions, high inflation and currency depreciation, complicating repeated efforts by successive governments to reform subsidies and unify exchange rates.

Iranian exiled prince Reza Pahlavi called for greater unity and sustained street presence as protests continue across Iran, praising demonstrators for defying pressure and restrictions imposed by authorities.

In a message addressed to the public, Pahlavi said the Islamic Republic had tried to contain the unrest by shutting down public spaces and universities, but failed to deter protesters.

“The Islamic Republic tried to confine you to your homes by closing public places and universities,” he said. “But you stood bravely in the streets.”

Pahlavi urged protesters to use every opportunity in the coming days to expand the movement. “I ask you to take advantage of every gathering, event and occasion to grow this movement,” he said, adding that continued presence in the streets was essential to advancing demands.

Pahlavi also said he and his team would continue efforts to increase defections from within the system and to amplify protesters’ voices internationally. He described the current phase as a critical moment and sought to boost morale by expressing personal support.

“I am proud of each and every one of you,” he said. “Victory will be ours.”