Iran Says Unrest Injured Thousands, Blames the U.S.
Iranian Pro-Islamic Republic demonstration in Istanbul. Photo: EFE.
January 20, 2026 Hour: 12:08 am
Iranian authorities claim that recent, violent unrest injured approximately 3,700 people, directly blaming the United States and Israel for orchestrating the destabilizing protests.
Approximately 3,700 people were injured in the recent wave of protests and destabilizing actions that swept through several Iranian regions, Ebrahim Azizi, Head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said on Monday, citing internal reports.
This figure is not final, the official cautioned, since many wounded avoided seeking formal medical care.
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The unrest also caused significant material damage: 250 schools, 300 mosques, and 90 traditional theological institutions were harmed, while 2,221 vehicles belonging to security forces and the Basij militia were destroyed or damaged.
Protests erupted in late December 2025, fueled by a severe economic crisis. Years of Western sanctions had pushed Iran’s annual inflation to nearly 39% and precipitated a dramatic currency collapse, with the rial plunging from 50,000 to the dollar in May 2018 to over 1.4 million by the end of 2025.
Iran has accused the U.S. and Israel of orchestrating the protests and arming demonstrators. The confrontation intensified on January ,13 after President Donald Trump endorsed the protesters, threatened military force, and urged them to seize state institutions.
In response, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Iran would strike Israeli targets and U.S. bases in the region in the event of an attack.
Amid these exchanges, Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh alleged last Thursday that some participants in the armed riots had received direct payments to carry out acts of terrorism, murder, and arson. Investigators uncovered meetings where specific bounties were set: 500 million tomans for a murder, 200 million for burning a vehicle, and 80 million for attacking police stations, he said.
Nasirzadeh announced the arrest of one individual who had allegedly earned more than $6,000 from such operations, citing it as evidence of foreign-funded violence.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, for his part, stated that the protests originated in December with legitimate economic grievances from labor unions but shifted into a destabilizing phase after terrorist groups infiltrated the movement between January 8 and 10.
Author: Victor Miranda - LVM
Source: Agencies
