Protesters rally in northeast Iran city

Shops were shut at the market in the city of Qazvin on Wednesday as shopkeepers joined nationwide protests, according to a video received by Iran International.

Protesters gathered in the streets of the city of Gonabad in northeast Iran on Wednesday, according to videos received by Iran International.

Shopkeepers at the Diesel Abad market in the city of Kermanshah in western Iran closed their shops and took part in a protest on Wednesday, according to a video received by Iran International.

Iran’s army chief warned the United States and Israel on Wednesday against interfering in domestic protests, saying demonstrations were a normal feature in any country but that efforts to rapidly turn them into unrest reflected outside involvement, Iranian state media reported.

Major General Amir Hatami said foreign rhetoric and intervention would be treated as hostile behavior and warned that Iran’s armed forces were now more prepared than before the recent 12-day conflict, adding that any mistake by an adversary would draw a stronger response.

“They interfere in our internal affairs by tweeting and speaking. They have been our enemies throughout history,” Hatami added.

British lawmaker Tom Tugendhat said there were reports of Russian cargo aircraft landing in Tehran and large amounts of gold leaving Iran, asking whether this suggested the Iranian leadership was preparing for life after a possible fall.

“We’re also seeing Russian cargo aircraft coming and landing in Tehran, presumably carrying weapons and ammunition, and we’re hearing reports of large amounts of gold leaving Iran,” Tugendhat told parliament. He asked whether the government could update lawmakers on reports that “suggest that the regime itself is preparing for life after the fall.”

Responding, UK Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Hamish Falconer said he was “not in a position to give a detailed update” on the reports, but said Britain believed freedom of assembly and the right to protest were “inalienable rights of the Iranian people” and should be respected by the Iranian government.