TEHRAN – Iran’s Police Chief, Brigadier General Ahmad-Reza Radan, promised the Iranian people during a televised interview that his forces would continue to track down each and every terrorist involved in the deadly riots that plague Iranian cities on Thursday and Friday, leaving behind a massive trail of destruction and numerous casualties.

General Radan held up a document that contained the names and information of the identified terrorists, saying he wants Iranians to know “their police is in control”. 

“Every person on this list has either been arrested or will be arrested shortly. We are ready to give up our lives to make sure our people are safe,” he said as he flipped the pages of the document to the camera. 

At least 8 police officers were killed in the unrest convulsing a number of Iranian cities over the weekend (weekdays in Iran begin on Saturday). Several members of the Basij Volunteer forces, alongside numerous civilians, were also killed by armed individuals who set fire to public and private property. Western media has portrayed the terrorists as mere “protesters” and various Israeli and Western officials have voiced support for the dangerous criminals. U.S. President Donald Trump even threatened he would attack Iran if the country cracked down on the terrorists. 

Iranian authorities have said the rioters were either trained terrorists employed by foreign spy agencies, or teenagers under the influence of Instagram posts encouraging violence. Despite widespread reporting by Iranian citizens, Instagram refused to remove the content. In an interview with IRIB, a teenager who attempted to stab an officer stated he believed his actions would make him appear “edgy and cool”.

As confirmed by General Radan, many of the involved terrorists have already been arrested. Iran’s intelligence ministry has detailed some of the operations leading to the arrests. 

In a statement released Monday evening, the Ministry revealed the apprehension of ten individuals in connection with the brutal murder of two security forces in Heravi Square, Tehran. Following their detention, the suspects also confessed to involvement in arson attacks targeting banks, mosques, public properties, and private businesses.

Furthermore, a cell linked to pro-monarchist groups based in the United States was apprehended in Kerman province. This group was responsible for defacing a memorial to General Qassem Soleimani, a highly respected figure in Iran’s fight against terrorism, who was assassinated in a 2020 U.S. drone strike in Baghdad. The cell possessed at least one Kalashnikov rifle and two magazines of ammunition.

In Khorramabad, a five-member team associated with Kurdish separatist groups operating from Iraq was arrested. A Kalashnikov rifle with 250 rounds of ammunition was seized from this team, who were active in the recent unrest.

The individual responsible for the arson attack on a major mosque in western Tehran has also been apprehended.

The Ministry also reported the detention of at least 22 individuals believed to have aided Western-based Persian-language media outlets in inciting violence and mobilizing youth to participate in riots.

Additionally, the manager of a factory near Tehran was arrested for systematically inciting and directing his workers to participate in riots and damage property. A search of the factory revealed sixty bottles of incendiary materials. Many such bottles were thrown at security forces over the weekend. The judiciary is currently reviewing a case for the expropriation of the factory to cover resulting damages.

The Ministry’s statement further highlighted the discovery and seizure of a substantial quantity of smuggled weapons and ammunition. A transit truck, having entered Iran from abroad, was found to be concealing a shipment containing 273 rounds of various caliber firearms, including Winchesters. Three individuals were arrested in connection with this discovery.

Separately, the West Azerbaijan Intelligence Department discovered another weapons shipment containing 100 caliber revolvers and 120 shotgun rounds on January 7th, leading to the arrest of four individuals.

The riots originated from peaceful protests held by Iranian bazaaries taking issue with the continuous fall of the Iranian Rial, which began with the imposition of Trump’s so-called maximum pressure campaign in 2018. Government Spokesman Fatemeh Mohajerani said during her weekly press conference on Tuesday that the demonstrations were exploited by the very foreign states pretending to care about the rights and livelihoods of the people of Iran. 

Western officials have backed the deadly riots saying they want to “help” the Iranian people but refuse to lift or reduce the crippling sanctions imposed on Iran.