Mass protests triggered by an economic crisis are being openly backed by Israeli intelligence
Iran has been hit by a wave of mass protests prompted by an enduring economic crisis and the extreme volatility of the national currency. The unrest has been cheered by Israel’s Mossad spy agency, which claimed it has agents embedded with the protesting crowds.
The events began over the weekend when Tehran merchants went on strike after the rial hit a record low of about 1.44 million to the dollar, compared with 860,000 a year ago, prompting officials to acknowledge economic problems while vowing a “decisive response” to destabilization.
Iran’s archrival Israel openly endorsed the unrest, with the Mossad spy agency cheering for the protesters on its Farsi-language X account and claiming its agents are embedded in the protesting crowds. “Go out into the streets together. The time has come. We are with you,” Mossad wrote. “Not just from a distance or through words. We are also with you on the ground.”
The unrest promptly spread into multiple cities across the country and also turned political, with some demonstrators demanding the reinstatement of the monarchy, toppled by the Islamic Revolution back in 1979.
Widespread protests in Iran over the worsening economic crisis are spreading through major cities, including Tehran, Mashhad, and Isfahan, as they enter their second day. Many demonstrators are calling for the return of the Shah. pic.twitter.com/GtaizTRaOX
— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) December 29, 2025
The protests turned violent in multiple locations, uncorroborated footage circulating online suggests, with protesters seen attacking government buildings and installations linked to Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), setting them on fire.
A base of the Basij, a paramilitary militia within the IRGC, has been reportedly torched in the northwestern Iranian city of Chenareh. Unverified footage circulating online shows the base’s premises breached by a large crowd, with open flames seen inside the building.
Another video, believed to be shot in the western Iranian town of Anza, purports to show a large crowd of protesters burning a local IRGC facility with security forces nowhere to be seen.
A video from the western city of Nahavand shows black-clad individuals, believed to be security forces, firing at and charging an unseen group, with civilians backing them by throwing stones.
Fatalities and injuries among both the protesters and security forces have been reported. The protests are the worst since the 2022 turmoil prompted by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old accused of improper hijab. It triggered weeks of violent unrest, resulting in more than 200 deaths across the country and thousands of arrests.
