UK lawmaker cites reports on Russian flights to Iran, gold airlift
British lawmaker Tom Tugendhat told parliament on Thursday that there were reports of Russian cargo aircraft landing in Tehran and quantities of gold leaving the country.
British lawmaker Tom Tugendhat told parliament on Thursday that there were reports of Russian cargo aircraft landing in Tehran and quantities of gold leaving the country.
“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 said. It was unclear what reports he was referencing.
Anti-government protests have gripped Iran since Dec. 28 in one of the biggest challenges yet to the near 50-year rule of the Islamic Republic.
US-based rights group HRANA reported that 34 protestors and 2 members of the security forces have been killed.
Tugendhat asked the government to comment on the information that he said could indicate preparations “for life after the fall.”
Responding to the remarks, 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 assertions.
Britain, Hamish added, believed freedom of assembly and the right to protest were “inalienable rights of the Iranian people” and should be respected by the Iranian authorities.
Tugendhat had earlier suggested senior figures in Iran’s government may already be reaching out to foreign intelligence services and trading secrets in search of protection if the government falls.
“How many senior regime officials are reaching out to foreign intelligence officials and trading secrets for security when the regime collapses?” Tugendhat posted on X on Friday.
“The leadership will be suspicious that many are looking for safe landing but paranoia won't help many of the leaders are doing it too,” he added.
Iranian officials have begun publicly blaming one another and foreign foes for ongoing unrest across the country, exposing sharp divisions in Tehran on one of the greatest challenges yet to the Islamic Republic.
Members of parliament have accused both the government and the public of contributing to the economic collapse that triggered the unrest.
President Massoud Pezeshkian and members of his administration, in turn, have pointed the finger back at parliament, underscoring a familiar pattern of elite infighting during periods of crisis.
Speaking at a meeting with officials and academics on Tuesday, January 6, Pezeshkian acknowledged that responsibility for the current situation was shared.
In a characteristically self-critical tone, he said his administration and the Majles both bore blame for the failures that had led to the unrest.
Elephant in the room
Notably absent from official statements has been any reckoning with the role of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei or the effects of decades of centralized rule.
In his only intervention on protest so far, Khamenei appeared to urge authorities to tighten the control.
“Protest is legitimate, but protest is different from rioting,” he said on Saturday. “We talk to protesters, but there is no use in talking to rioters. Rioters must be put in their place.”
Protesters have made Khamenei a central target, accusing him of bankrupting the country through military adventurism and the financing of regional proxy groups.
‘US mercenaries’
As demonstrations continued for an eleventh consecutive day on Wednesday, hardline lawmakers reiterated familiar rhetoric dismissing the protests as foreign-instigated.
Fatemeh Mohammadbeigi, a lawmaker from Qazvin, labeled protesters “rioters” and said they should be intimidated into ending what she called their “mutiny.”
“Enemies are importing weapons into Iran,” she asserted, calling on security forces to “confront the rioters with strict measures.”
Rights groups and activist networks say at least 36 protesters have been killed since the unrest began, with many more injured. A hospital in the uniquely restive province of Ilam was attacked to arrest wounded demonstrators.
MP Mohammadbeigi alleged in an interview with moderate outlet Rouydad24 that “Israeli and US mercenaries” were responsible for the hospital raid as well as for shutting down markets and damaging property.
Infighting unabated
Similar claims were echoed by Esmail Kowsari, a Tehran lawmaker, IRGC officer and member of parliament’s national security committee.
Speaking to the state-linked ILNA news agency, Kowsari accused “enemies” of attempting to sow discord in Iran, arguing that Israel and the United States, which he said had been “defeated in the war with Iran,” were now waging a “soft war” through social media.
Kowsari also criticized the government for “leaving the markets uncontrolled” and suggested parliament should summon the president to explain the situation.
Moderate figures have warned that such moves risk deepening the crisis.
Hassan Rassouli, a former governor of the protest hotbed Lorestan, warned that questioning Pezeshkian in parliament “would be tantamount to attacking the commander during a battle.”
In an interview with moderate outlet Khabar Online on Wednesday, he accused hardline lawmakers of staging “a show of authority” at a moment when Tehran—in his words—should focus on containing unrest, not escalating internal power struggles.
The Western Iranian province of Ilam has emerged as one of the epicenters of nationwide protests, with some of the deadliest confrontations yet between demonstrators and security forces.
Roughly half of all reported fatalities so far—around 20 protesters—have occurred by direct gunfire in western provinces, according to activist and local reports.
Many of the deaths have occurred in Ilam, Lorestan, Chahar-Mahal and Bakhtiari, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, areas that have long ranked among Iran’s most economically deprived and are home largely to ethnic Kurdish and Lor populations.
The scale of unrest has been especially striking in Ilam.
On Tuesday night, videos showing large crowds protesting peacefully in Abdanan, a city of about 25,000, circulated widely on social media, surprising many Iranians.
A day later, similarly large demonstrations took place in Aligudarz, a city of fewer than 100,000 in neighboring Lorestan, where crowds chanted slogans against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Witness accounts and videos suggest participation levels unusual for cities of that size—an indication, activists say, of how deeply economic grievances and political anger have penetrated Iran’s smaller, poorer communities.
Despite this, state media have continued to minimize the protests.
The state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency described demonstrations in Lorestan as failed “riots,” claiming people “did not show up,” while acknowledging that inflation there has exceeded the national average.
Attack on hospital
Anger across Ilam intensified further after events at Imam Khomeini Hospital in the provincial capital on Sunday, following the transfer of wounded protesters from demonstrations in Arkavaz, the center of Malekshahi county.
State outlets accused protesters of attacking the hospital, saying police entered the facility to restore order. Eyewitnesses, however, described a security raid in which tear gas was fired inside the hospital and injured protesters were removed.
A rare on-the-ground report by the moderate daily Ham-Mihan, citing multiple witnesses and medical staff, said protesters arriving at the hospital were unarmed and had been shot after a peaceful march.
Several were already dead on arrival, while others later died from gunshot wounds, including injuries caused by military-grade bullets. Some families, the report said, rushed wounded relatives out of the hospital to prevent their arrest.
The incident drew a rare official response from the government.
The Health Ministry stressed the “sanctity” of medical facilities, saying any entry by security forces into hospitals or harm to patients violated humanitarian principles.
Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said damage to medical centers was unacceptable “under any circumstances” and announced that President Masoud Pezeshkian had ordered an investigation, dispatching a representative to Ilam to prepare a report.
For many residents, however, the episode has come to symbolize a broader breakdown: a protest movement spreading from Iran’s margins, met not only with lethal force in the streets, but—according to witnesses—even inside places meant to offer refuge.
US Senator Ted Cruz told Iran International on Wednesday that the American people back ongoing protests in the country against theocratic rule and credited President Donald Trump for attacks on Iranian nuclear sites in June.
"I absolutely support the (Iranian) people. They’re rising up against a tyrannical regime, a regime that is theocratic, that is corrupt, that murders and tortures the Iranian people and the American people are cheering for the people of Iran to shake free this yoke of oppression, to have a free and democratic society," Cruz said.
The hawkish Texas lawmaker is close to Trump and is a strong backer of Israel and muscular US military stance in the Middle East.
Protests have roiled Iranian cities since December 28 and 34 demonstrators along with two members of the security forces have died according to US-based rights group HRANA.
Economic grievances sparked the unrest, which quickly transformed into anti-government rallies throughout the country.
"I think the people of Iran want to stand with America," Cruz added. "They want to stand with freedom. They want to stand with the West. And tragically, they have suffered under this radical Islamist regime."
"The Ayatollah is a zealot. He is He is a murderer, and I think the regime is fatally weakened as a consequence of losing the war. Not only did the Ayatollah lose the war," Cruz continued.
Israel launched a surprise military campaign against Iran in June which was capped off by US attacks on three key nuclear facilities. US President Donald Trump said the strikes "obliterated" Iran's atomic program.
"I will say President Trump showed bold leadership. Taking out the Iranian nuclear facilities, very few things would produce greater peace in Iran, across the world than seeing the end to this to radical regime."
Iranian authorities have said legitimate protest against economic hardships will be tolerated but what they have deemed riots will be put down. Iran has quashed with deadly force previous waves of unrest against authorities.
An Iranian newspaper reported that security forces blocked blood donations and took wounded protesters from a hospital after opening fire on demonstrations in the western town of Malekshahi, a rare domestic account of alleged abuses that has drawn condemnation from rights groups.
The reformist daily Ham-Mihan said on Wednesday, citing eyewitnesses, that security forces shot at demonstrators protesting in Malekshahi, near the Iraqi border, and later entered Imam Khomeini Hospital in the provincial capital Ilam, where injured protesters had been taken for treatment.
According to the newspaper, security forces prevented people from donating blood for the wounded and removed some injured protesters from the hospital without allowing them to receive medical care.
Witnesses quoted by the paper said forces also sought to take the bodies of those killed in the unrest to prevent public mourning ceremonies.
The paper reported that four wounded protesters died shortly after arriving at the hospital, while two others later died from their injuries. Hospital staff said about 11 critically injured protesters were admitted.
One eyewitness told the newspaper that none of the demonstrators had been carrying weapons and that the shooting followed a peaceful march. Another said security forces restricted access to the hospital to prevent photographs or videos from circulating.
Ham-Mihan said about 30 people were wounded when security forces fired on protests in Malekshahi this week. Iran International had independently verified the identities of four people killed in the unrest.
Medical workers quoted by the newspaper described gunshot wounds to the head, chest, abdomen and limbs. One nurse said a young man hit by three Kalashnikov bullets died after surgery.
Amnesty International said Iranian security forces carried out repeated raids on Imam Khomeini Hospital, using tear gas and shotguns, smashing doors and beating people inside, including medical staff, and arresting injured protesters and family members.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered an investigation into the hospital incident. Iran’s health minister said medical staff were obliged to treat all patients regardless of political or social affiliation.
The US State Department described the hospital raid as a crime against humanity. Iranian officials have said the government recognizes economic protests but rejects what it calls violence and disorder.
State media in Iran are portraying the country as calm, even as rights groups and videos emerging from streets point to expanding protests and intensifying repression.
As the tenth day of unrest wraps up, Tehran appears to be pursuing a dual control strategy: widespread arrests of individuals described as riot leaders, alongside intensified news censorship and tighter restrictions on internet access.
The website Asr-e Iran reported on Tuesday that not a single reporter or photographer from non-state outlets is currently permitted to conduct field coverage of demonstrations.
During the early days of the unrest, state media—including the national broadcaster—unexpectedly aired limited and heavily censored coverage of protests.
Some appeared to validate people’s right to protest, signaling a brief opening toward a more conciliatory stance.
Khamenei intervention
That tone shifted sharply after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s speech on Saturday, in which he rejected any accommodation with those he described as “rioters.”
Since then, official rhetoric has again turned confrontational, even as protests and strikes have continued to spread.
On Monday night, large crowds took to the streets in eastern Tehran, an area traditionally regarded as a conservative stronghold.
On Tuesday, bazaar merchants once again closed their shops and took to surrounding streets in numbers not previously seen in online videos since the protests began.
Footage circulating on social media appears to show a noticeable increase in the number of demonstrators in several other cities as well.
It also points to the spread of strikes to Kurdish regions, where political parties have called on residents to join work stoppages starting Thursday.
‘Enemy conspiracy’
Despite this, official and semi-official outlets have insisted that the unrest is fading.
The Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Fars News Agency claimed on Tuesday that “riotous movements” had declined sharply since Monday night and were limited to a few locations.
“People, despite having grievances about living conditions and high prices, have shown no support for these riots or even street protests,” Fars asserted.
Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of the hardline Kayhan, which is funded by the office of the Supreme Leader, went further, claiming that a planned “enemy conspiracy” had been neutralized thanks to the “vigilance, faith and devotion” of bazaar merchants and the public.
Feeble administration
The administration of President Masoud Pezeshkian, by contrast, has sought to strike a more restrained tone—though with limited influence over events unfolding on the streets.
On Tuesday, Mehdi Tabatabei, one of the president’s deputies, wrote on X that it was the government’s duty to hear protesters’ voices and respond to their “reasonable” demands, arguing that the line between protest and “riot” lay in avoiding violence.
The administration has also tasked a committee with probing security forces’ attack on a hospital in Ilam where protesters had sought refuge.
Writing in the daily Ham-Mihan, moderate pundit Abbas Abdi warned that officials were mistaken to believe the unrest could simply be “wrapped up” without addressing its underlying causes.
A society protesting for multiple reasons, he wrote, including economic hardship, retains a high potential for renewed unrest even after periods of enforced silence.
One defining feature of the current wave of protests has been its expansion into smaller towns grappling with poverty and unemployment.
Another, more telling—and ignored characteristically by pundits who address Pezeshkian and not Khamenei—is the growing irrelevance of the civilian administration at moments like this, when the confrontation crystalises into protesters against the security apparatus.
