2026/01/16Tehran Friday Prayer Leader Ahmad Khatami Calls for Executions of Detained Protesters
Ahmad Khatami, Tehran’s Friday prayer leader appointed by Iran’s supreme leader and a member of both the Assembly of Experts and the Guardian Council, called for death sentences for detained protesters and urged the arrest of anyone who supported the protests “in any way.” In his sermon, he portrayed protesters as “Netanyahu’s servants” and “Trump’s soldiers,” warning both leaders to expect “harsh revenge” and saying Americans and “Zionists” should not expect peace. Khatami also cited damage figures from the unrest, claiming 350 mosques, 126 prayer halls, and 20 other holy sites were harmed, along with 80 Friday prayer leaders’ residences.
2026/01/16Video Captioned “Tehran’s Pirouzi St., Thursday 18 Dey”: Voice Cries Out Under Live Fire
A video received and circulated with the caption “Pirouzi Street, Tehran — Thursday 18 Dey (Jan. 8, 2026)” includes a voice shouting amid apparent gunfire: “People, pray— they’re shooting at us! We’ve taken cover! One of us is dead!” The clip is being shared as part of a growing stream of footage and testimony alleging the use of live ammunition during the crackdown in Tehran.
2026/01/16Mohsen Rezaee: Security Chiefs Skipped Regime Funerals Over Fear of an Attack
Mohsen Rezaee, a former IRGC commander, said in an interview that senior military and security commanders avoided attending a government-organized funeral ceremony for slain regime personnel because they feared a possible “attack against the Islamic Republic.” The remarks come as the Islamic Republic claims some of its forces were killed by protesters, even while independent estimates of protester deaths run into the thousands. Rezaee’s admission of security anxiety also recalls the recent “12-day war” period referenced by critics, when multiple IRGC and security figures were reportedly targeted while operating from concealed locations.
2026/01/16Madonna Backs Iranians: “Hold Tight… I Stand With Iran”
Pop icon Madonna voiced support for Iranians in an Instagram post, saying she is thinking of people “fighting a much-needed revolution” and urging them to “hold tight,” adding: “I stand with Iran. Let their voices be heard.” She also wrote that Iranians have long been denied basic freedoms and said she cannot claim to fully understand their suffering, but that her “thoughts and prayers” are with them.
2026/01/16Videos Show Bodies at Kahrizak Forensic Medicine Center, Labeled “Friday 9 January 2026”
Videos received and circulated with the caption “Friday, 19 Dey 1404 (Jan. 9, 2026)” appear to show bodies at the Kahrizak Forensic Medicine Center, amid mounting reports of large-scale fatalities during the recent crackdown. The footage, as described, points to growing pressure on morgues and forensic facilities as families search for missing relatives.
2026/01/16X-Ray Images Shared From Shiraz Claim Protester Blinded; Reports Point to Surge in Eye Injuries
A user on X posted radiology images of the head and face of a female protester in Shiraz, saying the scans are from Friday, 19 Dey 1404 (Jan. 9, 2026) at Namazi Hospital and alleging the woman has been left blind in both eyes. Separately, IranWire cited confirmations from medical staff sources—before Iran’s internet blackout began and ahead of the major Thursday–Friday crackdown—that at least 500 people with eye injuries had already sought treatment at Tehran’s Labafinejad, Farabi, and Moheb Kosar hospitals. Medical personnel said they believe the number of people who lost one or both eyes during the two nights of intensified repression is far higher.
2026/01/16Fars Claims IRGC Intel Arrested “Raha Parham” as Iran’s Internet Blackout Drags On
IRGC-affiliated Fars News published a 5:35 video on its social-media accounts—despite Iran’s nationwide internet shutdown continuing for an eighth consecutive day—claiming IRGC intelligence arrested a woman it called “Raha Parham,” alleging her “real name” is Nazanin Baradaran. The outlet framed her as a would-be face of the protests and said more details would follow, in a pattern critics describe as propaganda claims during the crackdown.
2026/01/16Tasnim: Fajr Sepasi–Persepolis Match in Shiraz Barred to Spectators
IRGC-linked Tasnim reported—citing Iran’s League Organization—that Sunday’s Week 16 match between Fajr Sepasi and Persepolis, scheduled for 28 Dey 1404 (Jan. 18, 2026) in Shiraz, will be played without fans , with no official reason given. IranWire said it had previously reported on an IRGC Intelligence directive anticipating closed-door top-flight games amid the ongoing unrest, while Iran International framed the decision as part of heightened concern over protests spilling into stadiums.
2026/01/16Axios: Mossad Chief David Barnea Arrives in U.S. for Iran Consultations
Axios reported, citing informed sources, that Mossad director David Barnea arrived in the United States early Friday, Jan. 16, 2026 (26 Dey 1404), for high-level consultations with U.S. officials on Iran. The visit comes amid intensified U.S.–Israel coordination over Iran’s internal crisis and the range of U.S. options, with Axios also noting Barnea is expected to meet U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in Florida.
2026/01/16Molavi Abdolhamid Calls for Release of Detainees, Urges Dialogue With Protesters and Political Prisoners
In video from his Friday prayer sermon on 26 Dey 1404 (Jan. 16, 2026), Zahedan’s Sunni Friday prayer leader Molavi Abdolhamid Esmaeelzehi offered condolences to families of those killed in the protests and called for the release of detainees, including the wounded and political prisoners. He urged the Islamic Republic to engage in dialogue with protesters and political prisoners. The Baloch Activists Campaign reported earlier that morning that security and military forces were deployed around the Makki Mosque. Reports also say the Islamic Republic imposed an internet shutdown starting Thursday, 18 Dey, during a crackdown in which thousands were killed or injured, while authorities claimed “armed terrorists” were responsible—an account eyewitnesses have disputed.
2026/01/16IranWire: Zahedan Residents March After Friday Prayers Despite Heavy Security Reports
Videos shared with IranWire show groups of citizens in Zahedan marching in the streets after Friday prayers on 26 Dey 1404 (Jan. 16, 2026), despite reports of a tightened security atmosphere in the city. Earlier, independent rights sources, including the Baloch Activists Campaign, had warned of heavy security measures in Zahedan around the prayers. Separately, Sunni cleric Molavi Abdolhamid Esmaeelzehi said in a message published on 23 Dey (Jan. 13) that the killing of thousands of protesters in Tehran and other cities over recent days was a horrifying and unprecedented tragedy.
2026/01/16EASA Warns EU Airlines to Avoid Iranian Airspace
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has told EU air operators not to operate in Iran’s airspace (Tehran FIR/OIIX) at any altitude or flight level , and urged carriers to exercise caution and contingency planning when routing through neighboring airspace—particularly where U.S. military bases are located—citing elevated civil-aviation risk amid regional tensions. The warning comes as many European airlines have already been rerouting around Iran and Iraq despite Tehran’s brief airspace closure and reopening earlier this week.
English
پارسی