Iran pledged to be lenient for ‘rioters’ to surrender

“Young people who accidentally participated in riots are considered deceived individuals, not enemies,” Iran’s National Police Commander Ahmad-Reza Radan said on January 19 on state television.

“If people who are incited by bad guys turn themselves in within three days, they can receive significantly lighter sentences,” he added.

Earlier the same day, head of Iran’s judiciary Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei pledged that cases related to violent protests would be handled “quickly and promptly to ensure deterrence”, affirming that he would not accept any delay.

The protests started on December 28, 2025, due to traders’ dissatisfaction with Iran’s economic situation and the devaluation of the rial currency. The protests were initially peaceful but quickly escalated into deadly violence.

This is considered the worst unrest in this Middle Eastern country in many years. The Iranian government accused Israeli and US agents of “inciting violence and directing the situation on the ground” to destabilize the country. Washington and Tel Aviv did not comment on the information.

News agency Tasnim Last weekend, citing security sources, about 3,000 people were arrested in connection with the protests, while human rights groups said the number could be as high as 20,000.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on January 17 affirmed that Iran would avoid escalating the situation, but warned that those behind the wave of violent protests would have to bear the consequences. “We will not drag the country into war, but we will not let domestic or foreign criminals get away with it,” he said.

Iran has not announced casualties related to the protests. However, Mr. Khamenei accused “those linked to Israel and the US of causing great damage and killing several thousand people”.