Ali Khamenei Warns After Tehran Protests

Shopkeepers and traders in Tehran protested on Dec. 29, 2025 and anti‑riot police fired tear gas, images show, after weeks of nationwide demonstrations that began in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and spread to multiple cities.Ali Khamenei acknowledged economic grievances but warned of a heavy response, drawing a line between legitimate protest and what he called rioting "mercenaries," following earlier vows not to back down and a near‑total internet cut confirmed by NetBlocks.Rights monitors report at least 42 people killed and more than 2,270 detained, the rial plunged while Brent and U.S. West Texas Intermediate rose, Central Bank chief Mohammad Reza Farzin resigned in December, Swiss prosecutors summoned Jacques Moretti and Jessica Moretti, Turkish Airlines canceled Istanbul–Tehran services, and foreign figures including Donald Trump and Laura Loomer weighed in.