Iran’s police chief warned citizens not to join protests during the war with Israel and the United States, threatening harsh action against anyone he said cooperates with the country’s enemies.
The warning came as Israeli leaders continued to appeal directly to the Iranian public to rise up against the country’s clerical leadership.
Speaking to Iranian state television Tuesday, police chief Ahmad Reza Radan said security forces were operating across the country during the conflict and would respond forcefully to unrest.
“We are carrying out duties in this war from the borders to deep inside the country,” Radan said. He added that border guards had been ordered to open fire against any aggression.
He also issued a direct warning to civilians.
“Anyone who goes out into the streets at the request of the enemy will be treated the same way we treat enemies,” Radan said.
Iranian authorities say they are particularly concerned about information leaks and cooperation between citizens and foreign actors during the conflict.
Radan said security forces had arrested 81 people accused of cyber-related offenses and of passing internal information to Iran’s enemies. Some of the suspects, he said, had sent messages to Iran International, a Persian-language television network associated with opposition groups abroad.
Iranian officials had issued similar warnings earlier in the war. On March 1, a day after the fighting began, Radan said Iran was in a “state of war” and warned authorities would respond strongly to anyone taking orders from the country’s enemies.
Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, also warned Tuesday that authorities would act decisively against anyone attempting to undermine public security during the conflict.
“I warn anyone who intends to exploit the situation to harm the security of citizens,” Ejei said. “In the current situation there is no place for criminal acts.”
The warnings from Tehran came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again called on Iranians to seize what he described as a rare opportunity to challenge the ruling clerical establishment.
In a message posted in English on the social platform X, Netanyahu urged Iranians to rise up against the government.
“People of Iran, we are waging a historic war for liberty. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to remove the Ayatollah regime and gain your freedom. Together with the United States, we are hitting the Tyrants of Teheran harder than ever,” Netanyahu wrote.
Since the war began, Netanyahu has repeatedly addressed the Iranian public, encouraging them to help bring down the country’s leadership.
Israeli and American officials have acknowledged that military pressure alone is unlikely to remove Iran’s government and that any change in leadership would likely require significant internal unrest.
At the same time, Iranian military officials have accused Israel and the United States of targeting civilian areas during their strikes, an allegation Israel denies.
Iran’s military spokesman, Abolfazl Shekarchi, said Tehran would respond to what he described as attacks on civilian areas and called on regional countries and supporters to provide information about what he called the “hiding places of the American-Zionist forces,” according to Iranian media.
First published: 09:19, 03.11.26