Peaceful Iranian protests turned into riots as a result of external interference. This was stated by Hadi Tahan Nazif, the official spokesman for the Guardian Council of Iran's Constitution.
“Foreign interference has turned peaceful popular protests aimed at satisfying socio-economic demands into riots“, the Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying.
According to the Iranian government official, “these riots show hands stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians killed during the 12-day war with Israel“.
On December 29, 2025, merchants began protests in Tehran over the sharp decline in the Iranian rial. On December 30, students joined the riots. The riots spread to most major cities. On January 2, groups of unidentified armed individuals appeared on the streets, and armed clashes between rebels and law enforcement agencies intensified.