The regime’s messaging has been characterized as an “ongoing information operation,” saying it is aimed at masking the extent of the violence while blaming unrest on foreign-backed terrorist groups.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Confidential disclosures by Iranian officials are challenging the Islamic Republic’s account of its response to nationwide protests, according to a Sunday assessment by the nonpartisan Institute for the Study of War.

Citing multiple reports, the think tank said internal leaks indicate that security forces were ordered to use lethal force against demonstrators, contradicting assurances the Iranian government have given about not executing protesters.

Two Iranian officials briefed on directives from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told The New York Times that forces were instructed to open fire and “show no mercy.”

Separately, two senior officials told TIME that as many as 30,000 people may have been killed between Jan. 8 and Jan. 9 — figures that sharply diverge from the regime’s statement at a UN Human Rights Council session on Friday placing the toll at 3,117.

The institute described the regime’s messaging as an “ongoing information operation,” saying it is aimed at masking the extent of the violence while blaming unrest on foreign-backed terrorist groups.

Human rights organizations told The Jerusalem Post that families have been pressured to register slain relatives as members of the Basij, a paramilitary force operating under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. At the same time, the US State Department condemned reports that a soldier, Javid Khales, faces execution for refusing orders to shoot protesters, calling his refusal “the only moral choice.”

Divisions within the regime have also surfaced over restoring internet access. While IRGC-affiliated outlets previously promised service would resume nationwide by Saturday, NetBlocks reported only brief connectivity spikes on Sunday. The Information and Communications Technology Ministry denied claims that access had been fully restored.

Some IRGC-linked media argued the shutdown is necessary for stability, while an affiliated Telegram channel warned it risks deepening public resentment and harming the economy.

The assessment follows a report by Iran International that Alireza Jeyrani Hokmabad, a senior diplomat at Iran’s UN mission in Geneva, has sought asylum in Switzerland. Sources said other officials may be considering similar steps amid the unfolding crisis.

The post Leaks from Iranian regime officials reveal propaganda lies about foreign influence, extreme brutality of crackdown appeared first on World Israel News.

Anti-regime protesters chant “Death to Khamenei” and denounce Iran’s support for anti-Israel terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah as demonstrations enter fifth day amid growing unrest.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Large parts of major Iranian cities have ground to a standstill as nationwide anti-regime protests entered their fifth day on Thursday, with universities, government offices, and most businesses closed under a government shutdown imposed in response to the escalating protests.

Demonstrators were heard chanting “Death to Khamenei” and other anti-government slogans during raucous protests in Tehran, Shiraz, and Isfahan, with clashes reported between protesters and state security services.

A member of the volunteer Basij force within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was reportedly killed during clashes with demonstrators in the city of Kouhdasht in the Lorestan province.

According to dissident groups, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers opened fire on protesters as they stormed a governor’s office in Fasa in central Iran.

One of the chants popularized during the last few days of protests has highlighted not only growing frustrations with the collapsing Iranian economy, but also with the Islamic Republic’s support for terrorist proxies across the Middle East, including anti-Israel groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

The chant “Not Gaza, not Lebanon, only Iran” has become an increasingly popular slogan for protesters demanding sweeping social reforms and political change, alongside widespread angst over the weakening rial and years of water mismanagement culminating in a dramatic shortage this year.

The protests initially began as a backlash over spiraling inflation levels and skyrocketing food prices but have since expanded to include a wide range of issues, marking the largest unrest since the 2022 nationwide demonstrations.

The one-day shutdown mandated by Tehran on Wednesday spanned 21 of the country’s 31 provinces, as the government of President Masoud Pezeshkian replaced senior officials in a bid to restore public faith in the regime.

On Wednesday, Pezeshkian appointed a new chief for Iran’s central bank, after the previous head, Mohammed Reza Farzin, resigned over repeated devaluations of the rial.

The post ‘Not Gaza, not Lebanon, only Iran’ – Protesters shut down large parts of Iran, storm governor’s office appeared first on World Israel News.

As protests widened, Iran’s central bank leadership was thrown into uncertainty.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The Mossad publicly urged Iranians to take to the streets against their government on Monday, issuing an unusually direct call for protest as economic unrest intensified across the Islamic Republic.

Using a Persian-language post on X, Mossad addressed Iranian citizens as demonstrations spread through major cities. “Go out together into the streets. The time has come,” the message read. It added: “We are with you. Not only from a distance and verbally. We are with you in the field.”

The statement marked a rare public acknowledgment by the Mossad touching on activity inside Iran, coming amid a second consecutive day of large-scale protests fueled by economic pressure and a rapidly weakening currency.

In Tehran, demonstrators gathered in central areas and market districts as frustration mounted over rising prices and declining purchasing power. Reports described confrontations between protesters and security forces, with riot police deploying tear gas and stun grenades in efforts to disperse crowds.

The unrest followed a dramatic fall in the value of the Iranian rial, which on Sunday slid to a record low of roughly 1,445,000 rials to the US dollar. That figure represents a steep drop from about 862,000 rials a year earlier, intensifying public anger over inflation and economic mismanagement.

As protests widened, Iran’s central bank leadership was thrown into uncertainty. Central Bank Governor Mohammad Reza Farzin announced his resignation amid the turmoil, according to reports. Under Iranian law, the move requires approval from President Masoud Pezeshkian before it can take effect.

Although the Mossad doesn’t often publicly comment on its activities, following the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, intelligence chief David Barnea declared that the Islamic Republic “will [continue to] be there, like we have been there.”

The post Mossad encourages Iranians to revolt in social media message appeared first on World Israel News.