Overview
- Security forces used tear gas to disperse a sit‑in at the Grand Bazaar, as videos and witnesses also described a hospital raid in Ilam province.
- The Human Rights Activists network says at least 35 people have been killed, including children, and more than 1,200 detained since Dec. 28.
- President Donald Trump warned Iran would be “hit very hard” if more protesters are killed, a threat that followed the U.S. capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro; Iran denounced the remarks as incitement.
- The rial slid to a record low near 1.46 million per dollar and prices continue to surge, while President Masoud Pezeshkian urged dialogue and outlined limited relief such as small grocery credits.
- Media reports, citing intelligence sources, say Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has a contingency to flee to Moscow if forces falter, a claim not confirmed by Tehran.