January 20, 2026
00:30
According to Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the police commander of Omidiyeh (Amidieh) County has announced the arrest of at least 86 individuals in connection with recent protest gatherings in the city.
Masoud Dadvand claimed that following a gathering of citizens protesting livelihood and economic conditions, what he described as “opportunistic and profiteering individuals” allegedly threw stones at passing vehicles and damaged public property. He stated that police forces, through what he termed “intelligence and operational measures,” arrested 80 people on charges of damaging public property and six others as “leaders and instigators.”
The police commander of Omidiyeh (Amidieh), repeating the standard rhetoric used by Islamic Republic security officials, attributed the public protests to “enemies of the Iranian nation,” claiming that these individuals had attempted to create insecurity by “exploiting infiltrated elements.” According to him, these actions were “neutralized” through the intervention of police and security agencies.
Meanwhile, the protests in Amidieh—like those in many other Iranian cities—have emerged in response to deteriorating economic conditions, rising poverty, and the government’s inability to provide basic livelihoods. Nevertheless, official authorities have once again avoided addressing the protesters’ demands, instead substituting accountability with security-based narratives.
