Iran has rejected reports circulating on social media that Indian nationals were arrested during the ongoing anti-government protests sweeping the country, calling the claims “completely false” and warning against reliance on unverified sources.
In a post on X, Iranian Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali dismissed assertions that Iranian police had detained Indian citizens during the unrest. “The news circulated on some foreign X accounts about Iran’s developments is totally false,” he wrote. “I request all interested people to get their news from reliable sources.”
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The clarification comes amid the widespread protests across Iran triggered by a sharp economic downturn, spiralling inflation, and a historic collapse of the Iranian rial. Demonstrations have paralysed Tehran and several other cities, with slogans increasingly directed at Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei and the country’s clerical leadership.
Protests escalate as economic crisis deepens
As per Human Rights Activists News Agency, which is based in the United States, at least 544 persons have been killed in this uprising, and over 10,600 others are in custody. The organisation reported that 496 of those killed were protesters, while 48 were members of the security forces. Iranian authorities have not yet released official casualty figures.
The protests that have been witnessed are the biggest ever since the country-wide protests that took place in 2022-2023 after the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody. The rate of inflation stands above 50%, and food prices have surged by more than 70% in a year, badly affecting people's incomes.
Videos uploaded on social media sites, some of which were reportedly transmitted via connections established through Starlink satellite internet in regions with internet shutdowns, depict gatherings in the Punak of Tehran, with demonstrators waving mobile phone lights and banging metal objects in protest. Such events have been reported in Mashhad, Kerman, and Zahedan, although the genuinity of many video recordings is in question.
Government crackdown and international reactions
Rights groups have accused Iranian security forces of using live ammunition against demonstrators. The Haalvsh rights group reported that security personnel opened fire on protesters in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province, after Friday prayers, resulting in multiple casualties.
Iranian state television, meanwhile, has broadcast footage showing calm streets in selected cities while airing funerals of slain security personnel. Officials have accused protesters of violence, with senior figures likening some acts to those carried out by extremist groups.
Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last Shah, has called on the security forces to “stand with the people” as the wave of protests continues to swell despite restrictions on communication and movement.
This situation has also received sharp reactions from the United States government. US President Donald Trump said his administration was weighing “very strong options” in response to Iran’s crackdown, including military measures. Iranian leaders have warned that any such action would prompt retaliation against US and Israeli interests in the region.
Iran’s government has issued warnings that disinformation being circulated on social media networks could further ignite tensions and reiterated its denial of claims involving the arrest of Indian nationals.
