TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a meeting with the Tehran-based foreign diplomats about the recent peaceful protests in Iran that turned violent after a short time, saying the Iranian constitution recognizes peaceful protests but no country tolerates riotous behaviors.

The following is an excerpt of the foreign minister’s remarks at the gathering of diplomats at the Foreign Ministry:

Peaceful protests began in Tehran on December 28, 2025, mostly by Bazaaris, trade unions, and entrepreneurs, and these protests continued until December 30. 

Following the protests, the government immediately started talks with the leaders of protestors. The president personally met with the chairpersons of the chambers of commerce. Economic ministers also entered talks with them and listened to their demands and made some plans for economic reforms. In the first stage demonstrations subsided and the atmosphere of dialogue prevailed.

Security forces showed maximum restraint

But in the second stage the protests degenerated into violence, and this is something that most countries have experienced. However, our security forces showed maximum restraint and tried to calm down the situation. We faced with such a scenario from January 1 to 7 that were accompanied with violence, which, of course, in our view was tolerable.

Terrorists planned to increase death number 

From January 8 to 10, we witnessed the presence of terrorist elements and armed groups in the protests. Arms were distributed among the protestors, and it was quite clear that a new plan had been engineered to derail the protests from its main course and push them toward violence and bloodshed. 

These elements fired at police forces. And we noticed that they not only fired at police force but at common people because their purpose was to increase the number of deaths. This was because the U.S. president had announced that in case of attack on protestors he would attack Iran, and this is an open intervention in internal affairs of other countries.

Great evidence of Israel-US involvement in terror acts

We have many documents showing the U.S. and Israeli involvement in these terrorist attacks. Israeli media outlets are full of reports that they are designing operations inside Iran. The former chief of the CIA, Mike Pompeo, on his X account congratulated the New Year to the protestors in the streets along with Mossad agents, and this is an open acknowledgement that Mossad agents in Iranian streets speak Farsi (Persian). We pursue these issues and hold them responsible for causing increase in the number of deaths, and they must accept their responsibility.  

People seek end to riots 

Amidst these developments, the position of certain Western countries is surprising. Instead of condemning terrorism, they condemn our police forces. However, Western countries closed their eyes to the massacre of about 70,000 people in Gaza. They did not condemn the Israeli and U.S. attack on Iran in June, but now they are shedding crocodile tears for the terrorists.
We recognize the right of every Iranian protestor, but no country tolerates riot and the burning of public property, terrorism and shots at people and armed forces.

“I hope these countries that adopted a wrong approach pay attention to the realities on the ground. According to the latest census, our people are seeking and end to these riots and countering them. Only 30 percent of the people see economic problems as the source of riots and more than 70 percent see their origins abroad.

Vengeance for the blood of our people  

We seek to avenge the blood of our people, and pursue this issue at international and domestic bodies. Armed forces now have control over the situation. We also hope that other countries don’t make miscalculations.  We consider what happened in these three days (January 8-10) as a continuation of the 12-day war which was engineered from abroad in order to push the country toward chaos, but the people resisted them unitedly. This time they tried to spark terrorist operations inside the country so that they may provide the ground for foreign intervention, and this was another miscalculation. Currently, all cities are under the control of armed forces.

Internet was cut off for people’s security 

Internet was cut for the security of the people and you (diplomatic corps), and our colleagues are in contact with the security bodies to reactivate the embassies’ internet and things get normal.

No preemptive strike on agenda

We as a great and powerful country don’t seek war but are ready for it. Preemptive war is not in our agenda. We are even more prepared than the 12-day war. The best approach toward war is readiness for war so that the enemies don’t make miscalculations.
We are also ready for negotiations, but negotiations which are fair, dignified, on equal footing, based on mutual respect and mutual interests, a negotiation which is serious and real, and not based on order and dictate that is the custom of certain countries.