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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a speech on Sunday during a ceremony commemorating the sixth anniversary of the assassination of senior Iranian military commander General Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. attack in Tehran, Iran, on January 1, 2026. — Reuters
– U.S. President Donald Trump urges for new leadership in Iran.
– Internet services partially restored after a 10-day blackout.
– Iran hastens trials; warns protesters they may face the death penalty.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a stern warning Sunday, stating that any assault on Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would be considered an act of war.
“Attacking our country’s great leader is equivalent to declaring war against the Iranian people,” Pezeshkian posted on X, seemingly in response to Trump’s remark that it’s time for new leadership in Iran.
After severe internet outages lasting ten days during intense protests, connectivity has begun to be phased back in, a monitoring agency reported Sunday.
The protests, which erupted late December due to economic struggles, rapidly grew into the largest challenge to Iran’s ruling establishment in years. Authorities responded with force, and a communications blackout initiated on January 8 compounded the unrest’s suppression.
Officials claim the demonstrations were initially peaceful but later turned into riots, blaming foreign interference, particularly from the United States and Israel—Iran’s main adversaries.
Trump, who supported Israel’s 12-day military offensive against Iran in June, has repeatedly threatened to escalate militarily if protesters are killed. Though the U.S. has appeared to pull back from direct action, Trump continued criticizing Iran’s leadership—specifically Khamenei, who has been in power for 37 years—in an interview with Politico on Saturday, suggesting that Iran needs new leadership.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials assert that calm has been restored on the streets. Security forces, armored vehicles, and motorcycles were seen patroling central Tehran, reports AFP.
A new protest banner in Tehran displayed a lineup of dominoes featuring images of the late Shah of Iran, Saddam Hussein, and Trump, captioned “dominoes falling.”
Schools reopened Sunday after being closed for a week, with authorities planning a gradual restoration of internet access, according to Tasnim news agency.
Khamenei claimed Saturday that “a few thousand” individuals had been killed by what he called “agents” of the U.S. and Israel. Local media have reported multiple casualties among security personnel.
He emphasized that the government must “break the back of the seditionists,” with reports indicating thousands of arrests. On Sunday, Iran’s judiciary announced swift trials would be conducted, warning that some acts could be punishable by death for “waging war against God” (moharebeh).
“All those who played a decisive role in inciting violence, resulting in bloodshed and damaging public resources, will not escape punishment,” a judiciary spokesperson declared.
Concerns mount over the possibility of executions for detained protesters, even as Trump claimed Iran has canceled hundreds of planned executions.
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