Iran judiciary chief says swift punishment of protesters is a deterrent

Shootings outside Basij bases and police stations killed demonstrators during protests in Iran and thousands have died overall, the Iranian parliament's national security chief said on Monday.

Ebrahim Azizi said security forces confronted protesters gathered outside Basij facilities and law enforcement headquarters.

He added that officials were compiling final casualty figures that would be announced after review.

He also criticized US President Donald Trump over his support for protesters, calling him “self-obsessed and delusional.”

In a statement read aloud in Iran’s parliament, lawmakers said Khamenei would “make Trump and his allies taste humiliation.”

Addressing Trump directly, the statement said Iran’s leader would “drown you in the sea of the anger of believers and the oppressed of the world, to serve as a lesson for the world of arrogance.”

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf later described Trump as “disrespectful” following a closed-door session of lawmakers, saying Khamenei had set the country’s course without fear of the US president.

“Khamenei has spent his life confronting corrupt arrogant powers such as Trump,” Ghalibaf said.

He also described the ongoing protests in Iran as an American-Israeli plot, adding that the United States had once again failed and that Trump was “desperate” and showing contradictory behavior.

He said actions taken by the United States against Iran over the past two weeks would constitute “clear crimes” in any fair international court, comparing recent developments to the pager operation in Lebanon. In September 2024, thousands of electronic devices intended for use by Hezbollah members exploded simultaneously in two separate events across Lebanon and Syria.

Iranian officials have repeatedly accused the United States and Israel of fomenting unrest inside the country, allegations denied by Western governments.

Tensions between Tehran and Washington have risen sharply in recent weeks, as Iran faces widespread protests at home and renewed international pressure over its internal security crackdown.

International silence over Iran is fueling continued executions and costing lives, Sebastian Tynkkynen, a Finnish member of the European Parliament, said on Monday, urging action to halt the Islamic Republic’s use of the death penalty.

Writing on the social media platform X, Tynkkynen said the international community’s inaction has enabled Iran’s authorities to keep carrying out death sentences. He said executions would not end unless outside pressure forces a change.

“The silence is killing people in Iran,” he wrote. “The ignorance of the international community allows the Islamic regime to continue its executions.”

“They will not stop unless we stop them,” Tynkkynen added.

US Senator Lindsey Graham criticized an invitation for Iran’s foreign minister to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, saying it sends a damaging signal to Iranians protesting the Islamic Republic.

Graham argued in a post on X that welcoming Iran’s top diplomat to a high-profile international forum would undermine protesters who he said are risking their lives for basic freedoms. He questioned the judgment of European organizers and political leaders, accusing them of abandoning people seeking liberty while enjoying freedom at home.

“I am sure an invite to the Iranian Foreign Minister to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos will be a morale booster to the protestors who are dying in the streets to attain the liberties and freedoms Europe takes for granted — maybe not,” Graham wrote.

He added, “I cannot think of a worse message to send to the protestors.”

The Republican senator drew a historical comparison, writing that inviting Iran’s foreign minister now would be “akin to inviting Hitler to a world event after Kristallnacht,” and described the move as a sign of deep moral failure.

“European elites have lost their moral compass,” Graham said, while urging Iranians to continue protesting and expressing support for them.

Protesters held in Iranian prisons have described abuse, including forced nudity, exposure to cold, and injections with substances of unknown composition while in custody, a source close to a detainee’s family told Iran International.

The source said a detained young protester sent a message from inside prison saying he and several others had been subjected to such treatment after their arrest.

According to the detainee, prison officers stripped detainees naked in the courtyard of the detention facility and kept them outside the building for a prolonged period in winter conditions. The officers then sprayed the detainees with cold water using a hose, the source said.

The detainee also said that the following day, prison officers injected him and several other prisoners with substances whose contents were not identified.