Iran's Revolutionary Guards Threaten Harsher Response If Protests Resume
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the ideological wing of the country’s military, have warned that any fresh anti-government protests against Tehran will be met with a harsher response than the anti-government demonstrations that intensified in January, when thousands died due to brutal suppression.
“The evil enemy, which failed to achieve its objectives in the field of battle, is once again attempting to instil fear and ignite street riots,” the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement broadcast on state television, according to AFP reporting on Friday, 13 March 2026.
In its statement, the Revolutionary Guards promised “harsher blows than those on 8 January” should new riots occur.
The warning came two weeks after fighting between Iran, the United States, and Israel escalated. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that one of his objectives was to “create conditions for the people of Iran to bring down” the Iranian government.
US President Donald Trump has also called on the Iranian people to rise up and overthrow their government.
In December last year, protests erupted across Iran to object to the high cost of living. However, they subsequently transformed into a broader protest movement against the Tehran government.
The peak of the protests occurred on 8 January, which the Iranian government termed “riots” and attributed to “terrorists” operating on behalf of Israel and the United States.
Many demonstrators died during the protests, allegedly due to brutal suppression by Tehran authorities. Official Iranian government data cited more than 3,000 deaths, with the government claiming that most of those killed were security personnel or civilians in the vicinity of the locations.
Foreign-based human rights organisations have accused Iranian security forces of deliberately firing on demonstrators. The Human Rights Activists News Agency, based in the United States, reported over 7,000 deaths during the anti-government protests in early 2026.