Iran’s president warned on Sunday that any U.S. strike on the country would trigger a “harsh response” from Tehran, as nationwide unrest continues and tensions with Washington remain high.
The warning came after an Iranian official in the region said at least 5,000 people, including around 500 security personnel, had been killed in protests that erupted across the country late last month.
Against this backdrop, Iran’s state broadcaster was briefly hijacked on Sunday (18 January), airing footage of anti-government protests and a message from exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, according to opposition-linked outlets.
The takeover reportedly lasted about 10 minutes and appeared across multiple channels carried on the Badr satellite, Iran International and other opposition sources reported.Tehran has not provided a public explanation, and independent verification is limited amid strict media controls.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) is a core tool for state messaging, and the intrusion demonstrates operational reach while street unrest continues across the country.
Separately, Iranian media reported further violence linked to the unrest, saying the Palestinian Authority ambassador to Tehran, Salam al-Zawawi, was injured when around 200 rioters stormed her residence, damaging property and setting parts of the compound on fire.
Attackers forced their way into the embassy compound while chanting slogans and throwing Molotov cocktails, leaving the ambassador and several staff members suffering from smoke inhalation and other injuries. They were taken to a hospital for treatment.
The ambassador, his family, and embassy staff reportedly hid in the basement until Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (Faraja) arrived and evacuated them to safety. Authorities then confronted and dispersed the attackers according to reports.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Sunday (18 January) that any attack on Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would trigger “an all‑out war” against Iran, according to a message posted on social media platform X.
Pezeshkian also said Iranians faced economic hardship because of what he described as “inhumane” sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies.
Nationwide protests erupted in Iran on 28 December over economic hardship and swelled over two weeks into widespread demonstrations calling for the end of clerical rule - resulting in the deadliest unrest since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.
At least 5,000 people have been killed in the protests, including about 500 security personnel, an Iranian official in the region said on Sunday, citing verified figures and accusing "terrorists and armed rioters" of killing "innocent Iranians".
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene if protesters continued to be killed on the streets or were executed. In a social media post on Friday (16 January), he thanked Tehran's leaders, saying they had called off scheduled executions of 800 people.
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Iran has rejected claims it has been weakened, vowing instead “more crushing” attacks against the United States and Israel. President Masoud Pezeshkian also warned that Israel is fabricating threats about Iran, as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed affecting the global energy market.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz by telephone with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday, the Russian foreign ministry said. A statement on the ministry website said the call had taken place at the initiative of Iran.
The United Nations Security Council is to vote on a Bahraini resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, diplomats said on Friday, but veto-wielding China made clear its opposition to authorising any use of force.
Fears of wider escalation grow despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. strikes on Iran could end within weeks. Meanwhile missile attacks, tanker incidents and rising casualties across Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf heighten risks to regional stability and energy routes.
Fears of wider escalation grow despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. strikes on Iran could end within weeks. Meanwhile missile attacks, tanker incidents and rising casualties across Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf heighten risks to regional stability and energy routes.
There are fears of an oil spill after a drone strike hit a Kuwaiti oil tanker near Dubai on Tuesday, while U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran reportedly killed at least two people. A loud explosion was heard in Beirut in southern Lebanon early Wednesday, as oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel.
Russian-flagged tanker carrying approximately 700,000 barrels of crude oil docked at Cuba's Matanzas oil terminal on Tuesday, shipping data confirmed, marking a vital and controversial delivery to an island paralysed by severe energy shortages and a suffocating U.S. blockade.
Four astronauts blasted off from Florida on Wednesday on NASA's Artemis II mission, a high-stakes voyage around the moon that marks the United States' boldest step yet toward returning humans to the lunar surface later this decade in a race with China.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck in Indonesia's Northern Molucca Sea on Thursday, killing one person, damaging some buildings and triggering tsunami waves, authorities and witnesses said.
Former Kyrgyz MP Shairbek Tashiev has been detained in a corruption investigation linked to state oil firm Kyrgyzneftegaz, as the case expands to include members of a powerful political family.
Afghanistan remains the third most affected country globally for unexploded ordnance casualties, with more than 50 people killed or injured each month, a United Nations official has said.
Leading Turkish official Fuat Oktay this week called for the dismantling of Israel’s alleged nuclear weapons stockpile. The head of parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said Israel’s nuclear capability should be “eliminated as soon as possible”.
Fresh Houthi missile and drone strikes on Israel mark a significant widening of the Iran-centred conflict, raising fears the Yemen-based group could open a new front. Their position near the Bab el-Mandeb strait also threatens global shipping and energy flows.
Pakistan is holding talks with Afghanistan to end the worst conflict between the South Asian neighbours since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.
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