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A video received and shared online purports to show gunfire from the rooftop of Police Station No. 15 in Gohardasht, Karaj , during the nationwide unrest. The clip is dated Thursday, 18 Dey (Jan 8, 2026) in the caption. The footage cannot be independently verified here, but it adds to a growing stream of visual reports alleging live-fire use and intimidation tactics by security forces in protest hotspots.
Bloomberg reported—citing a year-long investigation—that Mojtaba Khamenei (56) has overseen a large overseas real-estate and investment network allegedly structured through intermediary firms and layered bank accounts across parts of Europe and the Gulf , with assets not held directly in his name but managed via shell companies in jurisdictions including the UK, Switzerland, and the UAE . The report described holdings including luxury homes in London (including Bishops Avenue, often dubbed “Billionaire’s Row”) , high-end villas in Dubai , and premium hotel assets in cities such as Frankfurt and Mallorca , and said the financing was traced to complex cross-border channels; some intermediaries cited in related coverage deny direct links to Mojtaba Khamenei.
Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, said the concept of a “limited strike” is a “delusion,” warning that any U.S. military action—“from any origin and at any level”—would be treated as the start of war and met with an immediate, comprehensive, unprecedented response targeting “the heart of Tel Aviv” and “all who support the aggressor,” in a post published on X amid the ongoing U.S.–Iran escalation.
The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company condemned what it called a renewed wave of arrests, summonses, and security pressure on teachers and labor activists across Iran, describing it as an extension of an organized policy to crush teachers’ right to organize, free expression, and union activity. Citing reports from the teachers’ coordination network, the union named multiple detained or summoned educators and activists (including Reza Moslemi, Abdollah Rezaei, Arman Shapouri, Shervin Hamideh, Jalil Shirdel, Esmail Khodayari, Keyomars Va’ezi, Mohsen Sha’bani, Hossein Ramazanpour, Mehdi Nazari, and Arash Nik-Khou ) and said the education community has also seen teachers killed during the unrest (including Kamran Akbari, Karmali A’lai, Reza Karimi-Far, Mostafaei, and Alireza “Yasin” Ansari-Far ). The statement called for the immediate, unconditional release of imprisoned teachers, recognition of educators’ civil and union rights, and an end to violent برخوردها با کودکان و نوجوانان , warning the authorities bear direct responsibility for detainees’ safety.
Iran’s Coordination Council of Teachers’ Trade Associations said two teachers were arrested on Bahman 7–8, 1404 (Jan 27–28, 2026) amid an intensified wave of summons and detentions targeting educators. According to the council, Ali Imani Motlagh was detained in Lorestan after security forces raided his home, while Ahmad Alizadeh , a teacher and political activist from Abdanan (Ilam) previously sentenced during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, was arrested by IRGC intelligence . The council said there is still no information on either man’s charges, health status, or place of detention—fueling concerns about their safety.
CBS News, citing multiple regional officials, reported that Turkey, Oman, and Qatar are trying to mediate diplomatic talks to avert a potential U.S. strike on Iran as Washington prepares military options in the region—yet sources said prospects for direct U.S.–Iran diplomacy have not met “any welcome or progress.” The Wall Street Journal separately reported that Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty’s outreach to Iran’s Abbas Araghchi and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff also failed to produce results . CBS further confirmed that Israeli military intelligence chief Gen. Shlomi Binder visited Washington earlier this week for meetings at the Pentagon, CIA, and White House , and said Saudi Arabia’s defense minister is expected in Washington by the end of the week .
French MEP Raphaël Glucksmann welcomed the EU’s decision to designate Iran’s IRGC as a terrorist organization, saying the mobilization and sustained pressure “worked” and must continue. He argued the next step is operational: dry up the IRGC’s financial resources and dismantle its networks , signaling a push for tougher enforcement and follow-through beyond the designation itself.
New accounts from inside Iran say intelligence and security personnel have been dispatched to schools in the wake of protests, pressuring students and attempting to impose the state’s narrative about the “national revolution.” An 18-year-old student in Bandar Abbas said agents have recently visited schools, questioned students, and promoted claims that “Reza Shah II is dead,” protest footage is “fabricated,” and that “no one was killed” because those who died were “all military.” Similar messages from other cities report that when students mention deaths linked to protests, officials deny it and insist “nothing happened.” The student said the atmosphere at school has become highly tense, and despite being in their final year, they are unable to focus on studying.
New messages from inside Iran suggest security bodies are escalating post-protest pressure by forcing hospitals to provide lists of injured demonstrators—raising fears of detention and unknown outcomes for those seeking treatment. A source in Tehran said their spouse, who works at a specialist ophthalmology hospital, saw many patients with pellet-gun eye injuries linked to protests. According to the account, after the demonstrations ended, representatives from the medical sciences university and security agencies visited the hospital and extracted the names of everyone hospitalized between 18–22 Dey from patient files and took the list away. Similar reports have previously surfaced from Tehran, Karaj, Rasht, Khorramabad, Najafabad, and Mashhad , describing armed agents stationed in hospitals, arrests from treatment centers, obstruction of care, pressure on medical staff, and transfers of some wounded people to undisclosed locations.
Prince Reza Pahlavi welcomed the European Union’s decision to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, saying the move sends a clear message to a “criminal regime” that it has no global legitimacy . In a post on X, he added that the next phase must be concrete action —both to protect the Iranian people and to support a legitimate transitional government capable of guiding Iran toward democracy .
In a post on X following the EU’s designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, the office of Prince Reza Pahlavi urged the international community to move beyond statements and take six practical steps to protect Iranians, weaken the regime’s repression apparatus, and pave the way for a democratic transition: (1) reduce the regime’s coercive capacity—especially the IRGC—to protect citizens; (2) apply maximum economic pressure by freezing regime assets abroad and dismantling the Islamic Republic’s “shadow” oil-tanker network; (3) guarantee Iranians’ internet access by expanding Starlink and preventing shutdowns; (4) expel regime diplomats and pursue legal accountability for crimes against humanity; (5) secure the immediate and unconditional release of political prisoners; and (6) prepare for a democratic transition after regime collapse, including a commitment to recognise a transitional government.
Noor Pahlavi wrote that repression has not extinguished Iranians’ core belief in a better future, urging the world to back a credible transition. In her New Statesman piece, she points to a proposed transitional framework by Prince Reza Pahlavi built around unity and democratic choice, arguing Iranians want a free, pluralistic, and united country—not one fractured by extremism, ideological monopolies, or territorial division. She cautioned that any future built on coercion, a “cult of personality,” or repression would only replay past tragedies under a different flag.