Iranian officials and institutions, both from the Islamic Republic and the opposition; as well as foreign governments, international organizations, and public figures, issued varied responses to the 2025–2026 Iranian protests. The demonstrations followed by a nationwide internet shutdown and a violent security crackdown. Human rights organizations and media outlets reported nationwide massacre of protesters.
Iranian state authorities defended the crackdown of protests and portrayed the unrest as "violent" or "foreign-backed". In contrast, opposition figures and activists accused the government of ordering or carrying out mass killings of demonstrators. , estimates of the death toll ranged from 3,000 to 36,500, making them some of the largest massacres in modern Iranian history.
Foreign governments and international organizations, particularly in Western countries, condemned the reported use of live ammunition and the high number of fatalities. Several called for accountability and independent international investigations into the violence and warned of potential diplomatic or economic consequences. The United Nations discussed the situation in emergency meetings and human rights forums, Civil society groups, Iranian diaspora communities, and public figures around the world also organized demonstrations and urged stronger international responses in response to the mass killings.
Following the protests that began on 14 January, the Iranian regime declared it would arrest anyone who had been on the streets on criminal charges. The Iranian penal system also declared they would create a database of all past and future possible crimes of protestors and their family members. Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei criticized President President Trump for comments regarding the protests, describing him as "a criminal" and "inexperienced", accusing him of interfering in Iran's affairs. while Trump has called Khamenei "a sick criminal".
The Iranian government shut down the reformist newspaper Ham-Mihan and threatened athletes and public figures against publicly supporting the demonstrations. It also imposed extensive security measures in major cities, including machine guns, tanks, drones, a bot army, snipers, and checkpoints in Iranian cities, with soldiers raiding houses and searching door to door in order to arrest protestors. According to several reports, a member of the Iranian armed forces was sentenced to death after refusing orders to fire on civilians.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that U.S. authorities had tracked Iranian officials transferring funds abroad, which he interpreted as an indication that some were preparing to leave the country. Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi criticized the regime’s response to the protests, describing it as a campaign of genocidal repression against Iranians. Khamenei's IRGC commander has called for war, calling the Iranian people "our atom bomb". Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that "war with Iran will be long and extend throughout the region." Iranian regime-aligned Wikipedia editors have attempted to revise, manipulate, and delete Wikipedia articles' accounts of the massacres.
On 19 January, FARAJA General Ahmed Radan gave a three day ultimatum to everyone involved in any way in the protests, telling them to give up themselves to the police.
The Tehran Stock Exchange reportedly lost 8000 billion toman in total market value two times. Merchants received allowances 20 minutes of limited internet visiting times at the hall of Tehran chamber of commerce.
China has reportedly sent 16 military cargo aircraft to aid the Iranian government.
On 27 January, Middle East Eye reported the United States is considering strikes on the Iranian regime and military as soon as this week. That same day, government deputy of digital economy was fired for criticizing class based internet domain access. That same day Trump threatened the Iranian regime that the next round of attacks would cause "major destruction". RFERL/RadioFarda described the Iranian armed forces as "Practically Naked". Spokeswoman Mohajerani stated that Iran will not start a war but will defend itself. Iran's rial, fell to its lowest record 1.5 million to $1. LeMonde has described the effects of regime massacres in Iran as collective shock. IRGC General Abdulrahim Moussavi of Joint Chief of Staff has threatened without IRGC there will no longer be name for an Iran.
On 27 January, the Iranian regime relayed emergency executive powers to provinces for purposes of government continuity and to accelerate the import of basic commodities. On 28 January, it partially restored internet against the threat of US military intervention. It also started apprehending doctors, one sentenced to death.
Ali Shamkhani threatened an "unprecedented response" of a declaration of war and preemptive full attacks against the United States and Israel.
List of off springs of Iranian regime officials abroad was posted online on January 28th.
On 30 January, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Iraqchi called foreign ministries of six Muslim countries (Qatar, Egypt, the UAE, Pakistan, Oman, and Turkey) and went to Turkey to visit FM Hakan Fidan and President Erdogan.
The New York Times wrote that "Iran enjoys diplomatic cover from Moscow and Beijing, The EU condemns but lacks further leverage. Arab leaders prefer a weakened Iran that brutalizes its own people to a liberated Iran that inspires imitation. Campus activists and global do-gooders who profess deep concern for Palestinian lives but show little interest in Iranian ones. It's left to the United States to impose meaningful consequences on the Iranian regime for one of the worst atrocities of this century."
Sit-in After the massacres students from 30 universities in all across Iran announced staged sit-ins, including in medical universities, the government had to switch to online classes and exams for the next semesters as well, Minister of Health deputy announced program to alleviate psychological trauma suffered by students.
Defections An Iranian diplomat applied for asylum in Switzerland. Elnaz Shakerdoost ended her career over the massacre.
Executions According to an opinion piece by Lawdan Bazargan in Iran International, the regime was repeating the 1988 summer massacre at scale. At least 50,000 people have been arrested. IRGC armed troops raided hospitals shooting wounded protestors.
An analysis by Joseph Epstein suggested Velayat-e Faqih will put ideology over strategy and execute people in large numbers, designating them as Moharebeh ("enemies of God") and baghi ("armed rebellion"). The government penal system stated they will charge public disruptors with Mohareb. National wrestling team wrestler Saleh Mohammadi was sentenced to public execution, held at the Qom town square.
Sanctions The Australian reported that Australia is abetting IRGC sanctioned General Yahya Safavi’s daughter Haniyah Rahim Safavi by recently approving her permanent residency. The Australian government stated she will not be deported. Australia started sanctions against FARAJA Cmdr. Ahmed Reza Radan, Minister of Intelligence Esmail Khatib, Deputy Cmdr. IRGC-QF Mohammedreza Falah, MohamedSaleh Jokar MP, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber Command, IRGC-QF Unit 840.
European sanctions targeted Eskandar Momeni Kalagari, Iran’s Minister of the Interior and Head of the National Security Council, and members of Iran’s judicial system including Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, the Prosecutor General, and Iman Afshari, a presiding judge. Bloomberg News highlighted that Mojtaba Khamenei has mansions in north London and a property empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the West.
OFAC sanctioned six individuals: General Majid Khademi, General Ghorban Mohammad Valizadeh, General Hossein Zare Kamali, General Hamid Damghani, General Mehdi Hajian, and Babak Morteza Zanjani, the last described as "a criminal Iranian investor who previously embezzled billions [sic] of dollars in Iranian oil revenue that rightfully belonged to the Iranian people and was never fully recovered."
US-Iran talks
On February 2, Pezeshkian government ordered restart and resumption on negotiations on a US deal. Axios reported that America has set 6 conditions for a possible deal with Islamic republic. Trump has warned Iran 'time is running out'. Limiting missiles range Bringing out of the country the remainder of enriched uranium Stop supporting proxy forces existing in the region Stop enriching uranium inside Iran
War crimes
There has been reports of alive protestors being shoved into body bags, finishing shots, while there is a shortage of body bags amidst reports of full morgues. One protestor hid in the dead bodies for 3 days in order to survive. The government also used garbage trucks to transport bodies of teens killed.
The Guardian reported some soldiers disobeyed burying the victims in mass graves fearing reprisals.
IRGC forces were shooting at crowds of scattering people while they were running away.
Military Iranian government ordered closure of its air space on 25 January.
Ayatollah Akberi Imam of Tehran Friday prayer has told people that they will launch missiles and attack countries where there have been trillions of dollars of American investment in the region.
Kurdistan Freedom Party claimed missile attack on their positions by Iran.
Turkey started building up along their border for Iranian refugees from possible attack on Iran.
The Iranian regime put Chinese facial recognition tech that was used in the Uyghur genocide on the streets.
Communication blackouts
Sattar Hashemi, the Minister of ICT, claimed that the internet shutdown would only be temporary. According to BBC and RFERL, to keep the internet censorship going, Iran kept only a small portion of the population in the country unaffected by internet disruption. Blackout has been labeled as collective punishment.
The Iranian government's Headquarters for Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Evil called on the government to cut off internet gateway fully.
RFERL Radio Farda started shortwave broadcast in Iran. On 12 February, the BBC reported Iranian regime has resorted to cutting Sim cards of dissidents and mobile phone and internet connections of a lot of people.
Iranians worldwide downloaded Psiphon Conduit app on their devices helping Iranians inside Iran to get connected to the Internet.
Iranian regime-websites reports shows that officials are contradicting each other on if the internet will ever be restored SourceStatementsMinistry of Communications Announcement- The decision on the certainty of the Internet has been made by the security authorities.
- The Ministry of Communications is pursuing communication.
- The results of the actions will be subsequently notifiedAbbas Araghchi
Foreign MinisterConnecting the Internet soon with full security deployment
- Enseries for faster Internet connection of embassiesSattar Hashemi
Minister of Communications- We're seriously following up.
- This decision was made according to the security situation and by the security authorities.Sattar Hashemi
Minister of Communications- We're looking for a return on communications and the Internet.
- The Internet must return to normal with the approval of the relevant security authoritiesFatemeh Mohajerani
Government Spokesman- Proportionate the government is not Internet access disruption.
- This decision was made by the security agencies.