Iran is gripped by escalating anti-government protests over economic woes, prompting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to place the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on its highest alert status ever recorded. This directive, reportedly exceeding wartime readiness levels from the recent Israel conflict, signals the regime’s deepening anxiety.
Protests that began on December 28 have ballooned into a nationwide movement, hitting scores of cities despite severe internet restrictions. Clashes with security forces have turned deadly, with human rights monitors tallying 50 to 60 fatalities, among them minors.
In a stern televised message, the IRGC cautioned protesters against crossing boundaries, declaring national security and public assets as sacred red lines. The corps reaffirmed its core mission: upholding the 1979 Islamic Revolution and crushing any disturbances with iron resolve.
Intelligence units within the IRGC dismissed the unrest as ‘terrorist riots’ orchestrated by foreign powers, pledging to thwart such conspiracies. Officials confided to Western media that Khamenei’s reliance on the IRGC is absolute, viewing it as his most loyal bastion compared to conventional military branches.
Preparations include activating subterranean missile bases to deter invasions. Khamenei has lambasted demonstrators as agents seeking to gratify Donald Trump, who warned of US retaliation against protester crackdowns. From exile, Reza Pahlavi rallies crowds to capture key urban areas, met with vows of zero tolerance and capital punishment threats from Iran’s judiciary.
Global outrage mounts, with Amnesty and HRW decrying excessive force. As blackouts hinder information flow, the standoff in Tehran and beyond underscores a regime fighting for survival, betting everything on its revolutionary guardians.