Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian marched alongside tens of thousands flag-waving supporters at a pro-government rally in Tehran on Monday, as protests against Iran’s ruling establishment continued to intensify and the reported death toll rose sharply.
Pezeshkian, who had urged citizens to gather in major cities to counter what he described as “foreign-backed” anti-government protests, was joined by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to images circulating online.
Very interesting. President Pezeshkian marches among the demonstrators at a rally in Tehran. He continues his triangulation between the Supreme Leader and those calling for regime change. pic.twitter.com/jX9uvQwzmJ
— Mike (@Doranimated) January 12, 2026
Demonstrators were seen waving national flags and chanting slogans branding protesters as “terrorists.”
The show of support for the regime came amid an intensified crackdown on dissent.
According to a Guardian report, the government sought to project an image of control and normalcy, despite what analysts describe as the country’s largest protest movement since 2009.
State television aired footage of crowds filling the streets and assembling at Enqelab Square for a rally titled “Iranian uprising against American-Zionist terrorism.”
Addressing the gathering, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Western powers of interference and said Iran was fighting a four-front war: “an economic war, psychological warfare, military war against the US and Israel, and today a war against terrorism.”
Earlier on Monday, Foreign Minister Araghchi told foreign diplomats that the situation in Iran had “come under total control.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday praised pro-government rallies called by authorities, saying the turnout was a “warning” to the United States.
“This was a warning to American politicians to stop their deceit and not rely on treacherous mercenaries,” he said, according to Iranian state TV, after US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily if Tehran killed protesters.
“These massive rallies, full of determination, have thwarted the plan of foreign enemies that were supposed to be carried out by domestic mercenaries,” he said.
Protests enter 16th day
The protests, now in their 16th day, began in Tehran after traders demonstrated against a sharp depreciation of the national currency. They quickly spread nationwide, evolving into broader calls for the overthrow of the regime and prompting a forceful response from security forces.
Iran has previously crushed mass protests through force, notably in 2009 and 2019. Observers say the coming days could determine whether the current movement can withstand what appears to be an increasingly lethal crackdown.
Araghchi accused Western powers of turning peaceful demonstrations “violent and bloody to give an excuse” for military intervention. Iranian officials have repeatedly blamed the US and Israel for fomenting unrest, claims both countries have denied.
The crackdown has drawn international condemnation, with Germany and Canada on Monday calling on Iranian authorities to halt repression.
US President Donald Trump has previously warned of possible intervention if protesters were killed, a threat that has resurfaced amid reports of hundreds of deaths in recent days.
Accounts from protesters describe heavy violence. One demonstrator in Tehran’s Punak neighbourhood said authorities appeared to cut electricity before gunfire erupted.
“After some time, in the darkness, gunfire began and people were hit by bullets,” The Guardian quoted the protester as saying, adding that shots appeared to come from rooftops or drones.
Human rights groups reported disturbing scenes, including videos showing dozens of bodies stored in a warehouse in Tehran’s Kahrizak area, allegedly used as an overflow facility for an overcrowded morgue. Footage also showed families watching screens at morgues, hoping to identify missing relatives.
Rising death toll
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 544 people — including 496 protesters and 48 security personnel — have been killed, and more than 10,681 protesters detained. HRANA said it was verifying hundreds of additional reports of deaths, warning the toll could rise further. Iranian authorities have not released official figures.
Rights groups also warned of an escalation in repression, citing at least 96 forced confessions aired on state television.
One protester, 26-year-old Irfan Soltani, has reportedly been sentenced to death and faces execution later this week, which would mark the first execution linked to the current protests.
Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s ousted shah, on Sunday called on security forces and state employees to side with protesters. He claimed thousands of security personnel had signalled willingness to defect and said further instructions would follow.
Solidarity demonstrations were held in cities around the world over the weekend, as the Iranian government faces mounting pressure at home and abroad over its handling of the unrest.
With inputs from agencies
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