Iran accuses US, Israel of interference as protests continue

Shops were closed in the port city of Bandar Ganaveh in southern Iran as part of what a resident described as a nationwide strike, according to a video received by Iran International.

The video, sent on Monday, showed shuttered businesses across the city, with the resident saying all shopkeepers had joined the strike.

Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said statements by some American and Israeli officials amounted to interference in Iran’s internal affairs and incitement to violence under international norms and rejected what he described as foreign efforts to present themselves as supportive of the Iranian public.

“Actions or statements by figures such as the Israeli prime minister or certain radical and hardline US officials regarding Iran’s internal affairs amount, under international norms, to nothing more than incitement to violence, terrorism, and killing.”

Protests have been reported in 222 locations nationwide, including rallies in 78 cities across 26 provinces, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday night aboard Air Force One that the United States is following developments in Iran very closely, warning: “If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they are going to get hit very hard by the United States.”

Baghaei said Iranians remained deeply distrustful of Washington and Israel, citing past actions by the two countries and arguing that the public would not be swayed by what he called “deceptive rhetoric.”

He also said Iran would not base its security posture on remarks from Israeli officials, accusing Israel of misleading statements and signaling continued military vigilance.

“We are not going to trust or rely on the statements of officials from the Zionist regime,” he said. “The regime’s pattern of deception is clear to us.”

According to HRANA, at least 19 demonstrators and one member of security forces have been killed so far as the unrest continues.

Shops were closed in the port city of Bandar Ganaveh in southern Iran as part of what a resident described as a nationwide strike, according to a video received by Iran International.

The video, sent on Monday, showed shuttered businesses across the city, with the resident saying all shopkeepers had joined the strike.

Iran’s Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said on Monday authorities should not show leniency toward people involved in unrest, calling for firm action to protect public security.

“We should not remain silent in the face of those who seek to exploit the situation and disrupt the security and calm of the people,” he said. “There can be no tolerance toward rioters. This time there will be no leniency,” he added, referring to what he said was open support for protesters by Israel and the United States.

Mohseni Ejei said prosecutors across the country should pursue those detained over unrest, including people accused of assisting protesters, with the help of security and intelligence forces. He also called for the identification and action against what he described as main organizers, saying some may not appear on the streets.

Iranian competition climber Elnaz Rekabi voiced support for nationwide protests in the country by sharing the names of people killed during the unrest in an Instagram story and describing them as “the children of Iran.”

Rekabi drew global attention in 2022 after she competed without a headscarf at the Asian Championships in Seoul following protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.

After returning to Iran, Rekabi faced pressure from authorities, was kept under tight security for a period and saw her family villa in Zanjan demolished by state bodies. She later left Iran and now lives and continues her career in Canada.