Father of killed protester in Kuhdasht says his son was not Basiji

Ahmad Alamolhoda, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative in Razavi Khorasan, alleged that footage and slogans from recent protests were fabricated using artificial intelligence.

Israeli media and what he described as “enemy-affiliated outlets” film crowds, he said, and then use AI technology to overlay anti-government chants onto the images.

The aim, he added, was to create the impression that Iranians have turned away from the Islamic Revolution and want the system to end.

His remarks come amid widespread protests across Iran, many of which have been documented by independent videos showing chants against the ruling system and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Mourners attending the funeral of Amirhossein Khodayari-Fard, a young man killed during protests in Kuhdasht, chanted slogans directly addressing government forces present at the ceremony.

According to reports from the scene, attendees shouted: “Basijis, Guards, you are the ISIS,” drawing a comparison between Iran’s security forces and extremist groups as tensions flared during the burial.

Iran’s top security official warned of regional consequences following remarks by US President Donald Trump, after Washington cautioned Tehran over the violent suppression of protests.

In a post on X, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused Trump of initiating what he described as “adventurism,” telling Americans to “watch over their soldiers.”

Comments by Trump and Israeli officials, Larijani said, had exposed what he called the “behind-the-scenes” dynamics.

US involvement would lead to “chaos across the entire region” and damage American interests, , Larijani said without addressing reports of protesters killed by security forces.

The funeral of Dariush Ansari Bakhtiarvand, a protester killed during demonstrations in Isfahan's Fooladshahr, was held on Friday.

Ansari Bakhtiarvand was shot dead on Wednesday, December 31, during protests in the city. He was killed by direct gunfire from government forces during nighttime demonstrations.

Washington would step in if protesters are violently killed, Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” he wrote. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”

Protests turn deadly

Trump’s remarks came as protests in Iran reached a fifth consecutive day on Thursday, with at least seven protesters reported killed by security forces. Demonstrations spread to new cities, including the clerical stronghold of Qom, where crowds openly called for the downfall of the theocracy.

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  Iran protests hit deadliest day as unrest spreads to clerical stronghold Qom

Earlier, a US official said the protests reflect deep public anger at years of government failure. In a written statement on Thursday, a spokesperson for the United States Department of State described the unrest as an expression of the Iranian people’s “understandable anger.”

“The protests reflect the understandable anger of the Iranian people at their government's failures and excuses,” the official said, accusing Tehran of neglecting the economy, agriculture, water and electricity for decades while “squandering billions on terrorist proxies and nuclear weapons research.” The statement also cited Iran’s involvement in acts of “terrorism against the United States and its allies.”

Demonstrations were reported across dozens of locations, from Tehran and Isfahan to Lorestan, Mazandaran, Khuzestan, Hamadan and Fars. Protesters chanted slogans directly targeting the ruling system and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Pro-monarchy slogans dominated many rallies, highlighting how the unrest has moved beyond economic grievances into open political defiance. Security forces used live fire in several cities, including Nurabad in Lorestan and Hamedan in western Iran, where videos showed officers shooting at demonstrators who remained in the streets despite the crackdown.