Iran protests highlights: 3,000 arrested for recent Iran protests

• Protests unfolded in two major markets the capital of the Islamic Republic, Tehran on December 28 after the Iranian currency, Rial, plunged to 1.42 million to the US dollar, creating inflationary pressure and spiking prices of food and other everyday necessities.
• As protests spread like wildfire, Central Bank head Mohammad Reza Farzin resigned. Police also fired tear gas to disperse protestors in the capital.
• On January 1, first deaths in the protests were officially reported, with authorities saying that at least seven people were killed. A day later US President Trump threatened military intervention if killings continued in the country.
• Nearly two weeks later, Iran promised retaliation if the US or Israel intervened in the country's domestic unrest. Iranian officials said fast trials and executions lie ahead for suspects detained in the nationwide protests.
• India issued a ‘leave now’ notice for all its nationals in Iran, urging them to leave the country by whatever means available.
• MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday said that India is keeping a ‘close watch’ on Iran as protests continue to sweep the country for over two weeks now.

Iran protests LIVE: Iran's last and toppled Shah's son and opposition figure Reza Pahlavi on Friday urged the international community to increase pressure on the Iranian government to help protesters.

Pahlavi made the statement as he held a news conference in Washington DC on Friday and added that large sections of the Iranian army and security forces have "whispered" their loyalty to him and that he is uniquely positioned to ensure a stable transition for the country.

Iran protests LIVE: Chairperson for the Waqf board of Jammu and Kashmir Dr Darakhshan Andrabi on Friday expressed confidence in the centre's efforts to evacuate Indian students from Iran.

"Since our Prime Minister took office in 2014, his priority has always been to evacuate students first from any conflict zone, ensuring that no child is left behind. Therefore, I don't think any Indian children will face any difficulties," ANI reported quoting Andrabi as saying.

Iran protests LIVE: The US department of state on Friday said that the nationwide internet blackout in Iran, which has entered its second week has cut the people of Iran off from the world on purpose and concealed its brutal crackdown.

“The complete and nationwide internet blackout in Iran has now entered its second week, over 190 hours during which the Islamic Republic regime has deliberately cut the people of Iran off from the world and concealed its brutal crackdown,” the US department of state wrote on its official X handle.

It further affirmed that censoring a nation cannot silence their voice for freedom and hide its violent actions.

“The world is watching,” it wrote.

Iran protests LIVE: Spokesperson for ministry of external affairs in India, Randhir Jaiswal on Friday said that India is ‘keeping a close watch’ on Iran as deadly protests continue to rattle the country for about two weeks now.

While Indian embassy in Iran had earlier issued a ‘leave now’ advisory to all Indians in Iran on Wednesday, Jaiswal added that there are nearly 9,000 Indians in Iran right now.

“We have advised our citizens in India not to travel to Iran at this time, and we have advised Indian citizens residing in Iran to leave the country by whatever means are available,” Jaiswal said.

Iran protests LIVE: An Iranian cleric leading Friday prayers in Iran's capital demanded death penalty for those protestors who were detained by the government.

He also threatened US President Donald Trump as he revealed rage that gripped the Islamic Republic following the recent anti-Islamic regime protests in the country, news agency AP reported.

President Trump had earlier warned that the US military would intervene in Iran if killing pf protestors continued in Iran.

Chants of “Armed hypocrites should be put to death!” rattled the prayer meet led by cleric Ahmad Khatami, AP reported citing the Iranian state radio.

Iran protests LIVE: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian called for a swift de-escalation of rough conditions in Iran over a phone call, Kremlin said in a statement.

The two presidents confirmed their commitment to a 20-year strategic partnership agreement signed last year, which includes joint economic projects, Reuters reported citing the statement.

Iran protests LIVE: Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar on Friday spoke to European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas and the foreign minister of Cyprus, and urged the organization to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.

“I called on the European Union to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization. The Revolutionary Guards are today leading the suppression and the massacre of Iranian citizens, after decades during which they have promoted the spread of terrorism and instability in the Middle East and beyond,” Sa'ar wrote on his official X handle.

He added that designating the revolutionary guards as terrorists would send a moral message of hope to the citizens of Iran.

Iran protests LIVE: As per a statement from the Kremlin, Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke with Iran's president Pezeshkian on the phone amid the unrest in the country. This phone call comes moments after Putin spoke with Israel's Netanyahu regarding the unrest

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the situation in the Middle East and Iran by phone on Friday.

According to a statement by the Kremlin, cited by Reuters, Putin offered Netanyahu Russia's help in mediating regarding Iran, and told the Israeli leader he was “in favour of intensifying political and diplomatic efforts to ensure stability and security in the region.”

The Iranian mission in India took to X and cited Iran's deputy UN envoy's remarks slamming the US for making "unfounded allegations" against Tehran regarding the recent riots in the Islamic Republic.

"It is shameful that the US regime transferred this esteemed body to a scene for theatre," it said.

Gholamhossein Darzi, Iran's deputy UN envoy, emphasised that it is shameful to use the UN as a stage for baseless accusations.

Here's a timeline of the Iran protests:

• December 28: Protests erupted in two major markets in Tehran after the Iranian currency, Rial, plunged to 1.42 million to the US dollar, creating inflationary pressure and spiking prices of food and other everyday necessities.
• December 29: Central Bank head Mohammad Reza Farzin resigned as protests in Tehran began spreading across the nation. Police also fired tear gas to disperse protestors in the capital.
• December 30: Protests spread to more cities as well as university campuses. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian pledged that his administration will "not spare any effort for solving problems" with the economy.
• December 31: Iran appointed Abdolnasser Hemmati as the country's new central bank governor. Officials in southern Iran said that protests in the city of Fasa turned violent after crowds broke into the governor's office and injured police officers.
• January 1: First deaths in the protests were officially reported, with authorities saying that at least seven people were killed.
• January 2: US President Donald Trump condemned the violent killing of protestors in Iran, saying that the United States will come to their rescue. Meanwhile, protests continued to expand across more than 100 locations in 22 of Iran's 31 provinces.
• January 3: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that "rioters must be put in their place", in what was seen as a green light for security forces to begin more aggressively putting down the demonstrations.
• January 6: Protestors conducted a sit-in protest at Tehran's Grand Bazaar until security forces dispersed them using tear gas. The death toll rose to 36, according to US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
• January 8: Following a call from Iran's exiled crown prince, a mass of people shouted from their windows and took to the streets in an overnight protest. In response, the Iranian government blocked the internet and international phone calls.
• January 9: Iran signalled that a crackdown was coming, but protestors continued to demonstrate.
• January 10: The death toll rose to at least 116, according to HRANA. Iranian attorney general Mohammad Movahedi Azad warned that anyone taking part in the protests will be considered an "enemy of God", a death penalty charge.
• January 11: Trump said that Iran proposed negotiations after this threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its violent crackdown on protestors.
• January 12: Iran held pro-government demonstrations, drawing tens of thousands of people to the streets as the death toll rose to at least 646.
• January 13: The death toll in the protests surpasses 2,500, according to HRANA. Iranians were allowed to make international phone calls for the first time in days after authorities severed communications. Trump said that he cancelled any meetings with Iranian officials, and promised that unspecified "help is on its way".
• January 14: Iran promised retaliation if the US or Israel intervened in the country's domestic unrest, while Iranian officials signalled fast trials and executions lie ahead for suspects detained in the nationwide protests.
• January 15: US and Iranian officials face off at the UN Security Council, where America's representative renewed threats against the Islamic Republic, saying that "all options are on the table" for Trump. Meanwhile, an Iranian diplomat alleged that the US had "direct involvement in steering unrest in Iran to violence".

India has issued an advisory for Indian nationals in Israel, advising them to remain vigilant and strictly adhere to the safety guidelines.

The advisory also urged Indian citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Israel amid tensions in Middle East.

“In view of the prevailing situation in the region, all Indian nationals currently in Israel are advised to remain vigilant and strictly adhere to the safety guidelines and protocols issued by the Israeli authorities and the Home Front Command,” the MEA advisory said.

"Indian nationals are also advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Israel. In case of any emergency, Indian nationals may contact the Embassy of India’s 24x7 helpline at: Telephone: +972-54-7520711; +972-54-3278392," the advisory added.

European airlines, including Wizz Air, Lufthansa and British Airways, avoided Iraqi and Iranian airspace on Thursday, according to flight tracking websites. These airlines are instead opting for routes over Afghanistan and central Asia to mitigate risks associated with ongoing tensions in Iran and the Middle East.

Iran closed and then reopened its airspace after nearly five hours on Wednesday amid fears of a possible military action between the US and Iran that forced airlines to cancel, reroute or delay flights, Reuters reported.

New Zealand has "temporarily" closed its embassy in Tehran and moved consular operations to Ankara, Turkey, officials in Wellington said on Friday.

New Zealand's foreign ministry said in a statement that all its diplomatic staff left Iran on commercial flights during the past day.

The development came after foreign minister Winston Peters, who said that his government was "appalled by the escalation of violence and repression" in Iran.

"We condemn the brutal crackdown being carried out by Iran's security forces, including the killing of protestors," Peters posted on X.

Iranian authorities are reportedly demanding large sums of money to return the bodies of protestors to their families.

Families of the deceased people told BBC that bodies are being held in mortuaries and hospitals, adding that security forces will not release them unless their relatives hand over money.

One of the families in the northern city of Rasht told the news outlet that security forces demanded 700 million tomans ($5,000) to release the body of their loved one.

France's UN ambassador Jerome Bonnafont said that "given the scale and brutality of the repression" against protestors, the international community must denounce the violence.

He reiterated France's call for the immediate release of those detained and the suspension of the death penalty. Bonnafont called for the rapid convening of a special session of the UN Human Rights Council to address the situation in Iran and probe rights violation.

Several Middle Eastern allies of the US have reportedly urged the Trump administration to hold off on strikes against Iran.

Top officials from Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have raised concerns in the last 48 hours that a US military intervention would shake the global economy and destabilise an already volatile region, the Associated Press reported, citing an Arab diplomat familiar with the matter.

New Zealand has "temporarily" closed its embassy in the Iranian capital city of Tehran, and moved its consular operations to Ankara, Turkey, officials in Wellington said on Friday.

All New Zealand diplomatic staff left Iran on commercial flights during the past day, New Zealand’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Leader of the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said on Thursday that “criminal gangs” were responsible for the situation in Iran, accusing them of carrying out an “American-Israeli” scheme.

“Criminal gangs in Iran killed Iranian citizens, security forces and burned mosques,” he said without providing evidence. “What’s being committed by criminal gangs in Iran is horrific, bearing an American stamp as it includes slaughter and burning some people alive.”

The escalating tensions in Iran has affected exports from India, stranding basmati, tea and pharma goods amid US President Donald Trump's looming threat of a 25 per cent tariff on countries doing business with Tehran, analysts have said.

Consignments worth over ₹2,000 crore headed for Iran are stranded at at Kandla and Mundra, as traders held on to shipments because of a breakdown in port operations in Iran.

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Turkey has said that it opposes any foreign military intervention in Iran, a remark that comes amid the threat of a military strike from the United States.

Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan told reporters in Istanbul on Thursday, "We are against military intervention in Iran."

"Iran must address its own internal problems...They must address their problems with the region and in global terms through diplomacy so that certain structural problems that cause economic problems can be addressed," he added.

Europe's largest airline group, Lufthansa, said on Thursday that it would halt night flights to and from Tel Aviv and Jordan's capital, Amman, for five days, citing security concerns as fears grow that unrest in Iran could spiral into a wider conflict.

Lufthansa, which operates Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings, said it would operate flights only during daytime hours from Thursday through Monday "due to the current situation in the Middle East".

The airline affirmed that this change in operations would ensure its staff would not be required to stay overnight in the region.

Lufthansa also said that its planes would bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace, key corridors for air travel between the Middle East and Asia.

Iranian state media has denied claims that a young man, who was arrested during Iran's recent protests, was condemned to death.

Iran's judicial authorities, in a statement on Thursday, contradicted what it said were "opposition media abroad" which claimed the young man, Erfan Soltani, had been quickly sentenced to death during a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in the country.

Iranian judicial authorities reportedly said Soltani was being held in a detention facility outside of the capital. He has been accused of "propaganda activities against the regime", state media reported.

The G7 has warned of more sanctions against Iran amid the ongoing deadly crackdown on protests in the country.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the US and the European Union's main foreign policy chief said the G7 members were "gravely concerned" by the developments surrounding the protests, and that they "strongly oppose the intensification of the Iranian authorities' brutal repression of the Iranian people".

It added that the G7 were "deeply alarmed at the high level of reported deaths and injuries" and condemned "the deliberate use of violence" by Iranian security forces against protestors.

The G7 members “remain prepared to impose additional restrictive measures if Iran continues to crack down on protests and dissent in violation of international human rights obligations,” the statement added.