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Iran Says Over 100 Security, Police Forces Killed By Armed Rioters

Above photo: X.

The head of the FARAJA Special Forces Units said eight members were killed by ‘swarms of violent rioters’ armed with guns and other weapons.

Over 100 members of the Iranian security forces have been killed by violent, foreign-backed rioters since the start of the unrest across the country late last month, local media reports said on 11 January.

According to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the number stands at 109 security personnel.

This includes eight members of Iran’s FARAJA Special Forces Units.

“The servicemen were martyred after swarms of violent rioters attacked them by firing bullets and hitting the law enforcement forces with various weapons,” said the commander of the special forces General Masoud Mosaddeq.

In Isfahan alone, 30 members of the security forces were killed during the latest riots.

Qodratollah Mohammadi, the chief of the Tehran Fire Department, said “armed rioters have set 26 houses ablaze, and launched arson attacks on 34 mosques, 40 banks, 15 shopping centers, 13 government buildings, and 50 vehicles, including public service cars.”

Testimonies from Iranian citizens shown on local media revealed how armed rioters violently attacked civilians. Detained rioters also gave testimonies to authorities about how they were instructed by handlers to shoot people in the head in order to pin blame on security forces, state broadcaster IRIB reported.

Western-based rights groups say dozens of protesters were shot dead by security forces. HRANA, the US-based media arm of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) group, funded by the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED), said 116 protesters have been killed.

“We are working hard to solve the problems of the people who are protesting; we’re working with unions and economic authorities to solve their problems,” said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday.

“But protests are different from riots. Those who are killing people with weapons, burning the bazaars, burning the police alive … these are not Iranians,” he went on to say, urging citizens to prevent these elements from infiltrating protests.

The head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, urged “decisive action” against all rioters.

“The Judiciary must take decisive action against those who create insecurity, kill people, and vandalize public properties in the riots that have engulfed a number of cities in Iran in recent days. It is necessary to draw a distinction between protests and riots,” he told IRIB.

At least 200 rioters and riot leaders have been arrested in recent days. The Iranian government has also imposed a nationwide internet blackout as unrest spreads, cutting communications across the country amid vows to deal decisively with the unrest.

According to local reports, videos were found on the phones of some protesters, including instructional messages from what appeared to be foreign intelligence. The messages guide protesters on how to act if caught by security forces, while urging young anti-government protesters to put pictures of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as their wallpaper on their phones in order to disguise themselves as pro-Islamic Republic.

The protests erupted in late December 2025 following a sharp collapse in Iran’s currency, driven by years of suffocating US and western sanctions compounded by soaring inflation, economic mismanagement, and corruption. Shortly after they began, the protests were co-opted by violent elements, leading to deaths and widespread destruction, alongside an intense global social media campaign calling for the return of exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, who has openly urged people to support the movement.

Since the protests began, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack the Islamic Republic.

The Mossad also publicly urged Iranians to take to the streets, saying, “We are with you.”

Netanyahu visited the US recently and discussed potential new strikes on the Islamic Republic with Trump. During a press conference, the US president said he would potentially support a new Israeli attack.

“Trump administration officials have had preliminary discussions about how to carry out an attack on Iran if needed to follow through on Trump’s threats, including what sites might be targeted,” anonymous US officials told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on 10 January.

“One option being discussed is a large-scale aerial strike on multiple Iranian military targets. There wasn’t a consensus on what course of action to take, and no military equipment or personnel had been moved in preparation for a strike,” the sources added.

Iran has vowed a harsh response to any attack, and has signaled that it may take preemptive action against Israel.

Iranian police arrest 100, dismantle ‘terror cells’ amid riot crackdown

Iranian officials caution that the foreign-backed riots seek to provoke internal chaos and destabilize the nation

(SalamPix / ABACA / picture alliance)

Iranian police announced on 10 January the arrest of 100 people accused of “rioting and disrupting security” and the dismantling of two armed cells in western Iran, according to semi-official news agency Tasnim.

Police in Lorestan province arrested two cells, described as “terrorist teams.” These groups were reportedly armed with firearms and bladed weapons and intended to cause casualties during riots.

The detainees were described by police as “rioters and security disruptors” operating across several cities in the province, Tasnim reported.

According to the agency, police said they detained 100 individuals after identifying them through investigations.

“The arrest of these rioters was carried out after their identities were determined in investigations conducted by the police in Lorestan,” Tasnim wrote, citing local security officials.

In parallel, security forces said they dismantled two separate cells in the cities of Borujerd and Khorramabad.

Earlier on Friday, the intelligence service of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) described recent developments as showing “a shift in the enemy’s strategy,” defined by more clandestine efforts to undermine internal stability from within rather than attempt to subdue an enemy via direct confrontation.

According to the statement, “intelligence monitoring confirms the enemy’s shift from a direct war strategy to focusing on weakening the internal structure of the Islamic Republic through inciting riots.”

The IRGC intelligence service claimed this shift followed the failure of attempts to confront Iran militarily.

Iran faces growing unrest from citizens with economic grievances and external saboteurs seeking to inflame instability.

In early January, Iranian leader Ali Khamenei addressed the situation during a meeting with families of those killed in the recent 12-day war, as protests and what authorities described as US-backed riots spread across the country.

“Protest is a right, but protest is different from rioting,” he said, adding that protesters should be engaged “through dialogue,” while rioters “must be stopped and taught a lesson.”

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