Masoud Pezeshkian, president of Iran’s ruling establishment, said on Sunday, January 10, 2026, in an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), that Iranian protesters are “rioters” and “terrorists,” claiming that Israel and the United States are seeking to “plunge the country into chaos.”

Axar.az reports, citing IranWire, that according to Tasnim News Agency, Pezeshkian alleged that “a number of individuals trained inside and outside the country brought in terrorists who set fire to mosques and bazaars, killed people with rifles and machine guns, beheaded some, and burned others alive.”

Pezeshkian also claimed that the United States and Israel are directing these “rioters,” telling them, “Go forward, we are with you.”

The Iranian president went on to call on people to gather in their neighborhoods to prevent what he described as “chaos,” and urged families not to allow their children to become involved in the “terrorist rioting and unrest.”

He added: “Our duty is to solve people’s problems and address their concerns, and at the same time we will not allow rioters to disrupt the country. The enemy has brought trained terrorists into the country; those causing unrest and riots are not protesters. We hear the protesters’ demands and are making every effort to resolve their problems.”