Le Monde – The crackdown on Iran’s latest wave of protests was unprecedented, not only in its scale and the methods deployed, but also because Iranian leaders are openly admitting to it. Initially, the regime denied any responsibility for the deaths of ordinary protesters, presenting the dead as “rioters” or “terrorists” who had killed innocent citizens and members of law enforcement. It was only later that the government acknowledged the role of its forces. On February 3, Esmaeil Kousari, a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – the regime’s ideological army – and MP, confirmed that the regime had used weapons against demonstrators.
He said that during the protests, some attempted to access “police stations, Basij [religious militia] bases and other sensitive sites.” According to Kousari, security forces were not armed before Thursday, January 8, the night when protests that began on December 28, 2025, escalated following a call to demonstrate by Reza Pahlavi, son of the last shah of Iran. “At that point, the Supreme National Security Council decided that the police, Basij and Revolutionary Guard forces would intervene with weapons in order to neutralize the situation,” Kousari was quoted by the news website Rouydad24 as saying.
Le Monde verified videos showing regime forces using military-grade weapons against demonstrators.
Iranian security forces use military-grade weapons
In Amol, in the north of the country, footage shows security forces firing three times with an assault rifle and once with a shotgun toward a target off-camera. Four men are in military fatigues, while others carry shields and riot helmets. The scene unfolds on a wide boulevard, with no apparent threat to the forces present. The video was only posted on January 27, after the partial lifting of the internet blackout, but was filmed on January 9, according to Vahid Online, an internet user who shares numerous videos sent to him from Iran.
In Dezfoul, in the southwest of Iran, another video shows a police operation at a downtown intersection. Around 20 shots ring out as police officers, some armed with rifles, fire in the direction of demonstrators. Several gunshots and grenade launches – whose exact nature is unclear – can also be seen. At the end of the video, two police vehicles bring in reinforcements.
Shots fired at crowds protesting against the regime
In another video filmed in the heart of a gathering in Tehran, gunfire is heard followed by screams, as protesters suddenly turn and run. Other videos shot at the same location show hundreds of people chanting slogans: “Do not be afraid, we are all together,” “Pahlavi will return,” and “death to the dictator.” All these videos were filmed near the Sadeghieh roundabout, likely on January 8 or 9, 2026.
Bodies of victims show multiple gunshot wounds
Dozens of photos and videos reviewed by Le Monde document gunshot wounds among protesters, both injured and dead. Most often, these are close-up shots of victims that cannot be geographically located. However, one video (blurred by Le Monde) shows a man gravely wounded in the chest, surrounded by a crowd of demonstrators on one of Tehran’s main avenues. It was published during the night of January 11 to 12.