Security forces were authorized to use weapons in protests, Iran lawmaker says
An Iranian lawmaker said on Tuesday that security forces were authorized to use weapons against protesters after a decision by Iran’s top security body, acknowledging a tougher response to nationwide unrest.
Esmail Kowsari, a lawmaker and former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general, told the Rouydad24 website that police had not used weapons until late Friday, but that the Supreme National Security Council later approved armed deployment by police, the Basij and the Guards.
“Until Friday night and even Friday morning, the police did not use weapons,” Kowsari said. “After the attacks escalated, the Supreme National Security Council decided that the police, the Basij and the IRGC should enter the scene armed.”
The MP made the comments despite earlier remarks by Iran’s Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi, who praised police forces on Sunday for what he called their role in containing recent unrest, saying officers acted “empty-handed” because they were not permitted to use weapons.
More than 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces during the January 8-9 crackdown on nationwide protests, making it the deadliest two-day protest massacre in history, according to documents reviewed by Iran International.
Gholamreza Derikvand, Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Vienna, had broken with Tehran and is now in Switzerland. There was no immediate comment from Iran’s foreign ministry.
Sources told Iran International that officials at the ministry had avoided discussing the case, with some staff citing security concerns.
Derikvand previously served as charge d’affaires at Iran’s embassy in the Czech Republic from 2011 to 2014 and was viewed by colleagues as a career diplomat who could have risen to ambassador.
The move follows a similar case last month in which Alireza Jeyrani Hokmabad, a senior Iranian diplomat based at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, left his post and sought asylum in Switzerland with his family.
Diplomatic sources said fears linked to Iran’s political unrest and concerns over the stability of the governing system had prompted the decision.
Iran’s space agency chief Hassan Salarieh said the newly unveiled Hatef-3 is a full-scale test model for the planned 24-satellite “Martyr Soleimani” constellation and would be launched once final checks are completed.
Salarieh said Hatef-3 satellite is still considered an “experimental sample because the system must be placed into orbit and its performance be assessed in space.”
Iran is carrying out integration and compatibility tests between the Hatef-3 satellite and the Simorgh launch vehicle, he added, describing a launch by year-end as likely but subject to technical reviews.
According to Salarieh, a space base was also unveiled in Salmas in northwestern Iran and another in Chenaran in the northeast.
Also on Tuesday, Iran’s defense minister said the country must accelerate its space program to close what he described as lingering gaps, warning that falling behind could undermine national governance and independence.
Aziz Nasirzadeh said Iran should prioritize developing an air-launched rocket system and securing a presence in geostationary orbit, calling space a new arena for strategic competition.
