Iran Warns of Preemptive Strikes as Nationwide Protests Rock Regime Strongholds

Iran’s Defense Council has warned that the country may carry out preemptive military strikes against its enemies if it determines that a serious and immediate threat to national security exists.

In a formal statement, the council – established to oversee defensive policy in the aftermath of the 2025 war with Israel – declared that “Iran’s security, independence and territorial integrity are an uncrossable red line, and any aggression or continuation of hostile behavior will be met with a proportionate, decisive and decisive response.”

The statement further accused Iran’s adversaries of escalating hostile rhetoric, saying: “The long-standing enemies of this land… are pursuing a targeted approach by repeating and intensifying threatening language and interventionist statements in clear conflict with the accepted principles of international law, which is aimed at dismembering our beloved Iran and harming the country’s identity.”

The council emphasized that Tehran would not limit itself to responding only after an attack occurs, stressing that it “does not consider itself limited to reacting after the fact, and considers objective signs of threat as part of the security equation.”

At the same time, Iran is facing widespread domestic unrest, with protests erupting in at least 17 of the country’s 31 provinces, according to an analysis by BBC Verify and BBC Persian. The demonstrations represent the most serious challenge to the Islamic Republic’s Islamic leadership since 2022.

The BBC analysis relies solely on protests for which verified video evidence exists, meaning the actual scope of unrest is likely significantly larger. Additional reports suggest demonstrations have also taken place in another 11 provinces.

The protest movement has expanded quickly since December 28, when initial demonstrations broke out in Tehran following a sudden and steep drop in the value of Iran’s currency against the US dollar and other major foreign currencies.

Video footage verified over the past 10 days documents anti-government protests and public gatherings in more than 50 cities and towns nationwide, including areas previously considered firmly loyal to the regime.

More than 100 videos, geolocated and authenticated by journalists, illustrate the scale of the unrest, with demonstrators flooding the streets of major urban centers in what analysts describe as the most significant uprising since the Women, Life and Freedom protests of 2022.

Verified footage has also confirmed protests in Qom and Mashhad; cities long regarded as ideological strongholds of the Islamic Republic and home to populations traditionally supportive of the regime.

Prof. Sina Azodi, Director of the Middle East Studies Program at George Washington University, told the British news outlet that demonstrations in those cities were “very telling,” indicating that the government’s “base of support is also suffering under the economic hardship.”

Historically, Iranian authorities have relied on force to suppress unrest. During the 2022 protests, which followed the death in custody of Mahsa Amini after she was detained for wearing an “improper hijab,” human rights groups estimate that more than 550 people were killed by security forces.

Although the initial police response to the current protests appeared more restrained, verified footage shows a sharp escalation in force since Saturday. This shift followed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s first public comments on the unrest, when he declared that “rioters must be put in their place.”

After Khamenei’s remarks, Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, said the authorities would “listen to protesters and critics who legitimately and rightly have concerns about their livelihood and social and economic welfare.”

However, he warned that the state would “deal firmly with those who seek to exploit the situation, incite riots, and undermine the security of the country and the people.” The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has also issued warnings in Lorestan province, signaling that street protests will no longer be tolerated.

Meanwhile, the Norway-based human rights organization HRANA reports that at least 35 people have been killed so far during the unrest, including two members affiliated with Iran’s security forces.