TEHRAN –Millions of people took to the streets across Iran on Monday to condemn the significantly smaller crowd of rioters and armed terrorists that vandalized public and private property and killed security forces and ordinary citizens over the weekend. 

Though short-lived, the riots that convulsed Iran Thursday and Friday created unprecedentedly gory scenes in a number of Iranian cities. Rioters and armed individuals set fire to banks, government buildings, residential complexes, private businesses, random cars, buses, metro stations, fire stations, fire trucks, police stations, mosques, and traditional mourning homes. They also murdered several civilians and security forces through various gruesome tactics. Individuals were burned alive, beaten to death, shot dead, or beheaded. 

Protests were initiated in late December by Iranian bazaaries who wanted the government to mitigate the economic woes of U.S. sanctions more effectively. A sudden fall in the value of the Iranian Rial was among their biggest grievances. Authorities said they respect the protesters and held meetings with various unions, but as the bazaaries slowly returned to work, overwhelmed youth swayed by online propaganda as well as armed and trained terrorists replaced them in the streets. The deadly violence taking place over the weekend saw little to no participation from the initial protesters. Western media has so far refused to distinguish between the legitimate protests and the deadly riots.

People that filled the streets on Monday said they hold the U.S. and Israel accountable for the recent deaths and destructions. “This was another chapter to the 12-day war,” said a woman attending the rally in Tehran with her three toddlers. “Netanyahu and Trump couldn’t dismantle our unity back then, so they renewed their attempt by killing our people and destroying our cities.”

Israeli and American officials gave away their intent to exploit the economic protests early on. When rioters had not yet emerged, Mossad’s X account, a former Trump official and CIA director, a U.S. congressman, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that agents were on the ground in Iran to “help” the protesters topple the government. Armed terrorists turned up soon after, and U.S. President Donald Trump threatened he would attack Iran again if security forces cracked down on them. 

The sheer amount of the perpetrated violence caused angry youth to distance themselves from what was unfolding in the streets. Furthermore, limits imposed on the internet cut contact between terrorists and their Western and Israeli handlers, enabling security forces to arrest them more swiftly. As a result, violence subsided significantly on Saturday, and calm established across Iran on Sunday and Monday. 

A number of top officials joined the Monday rallies, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. In a speech, Qalibaf said the Iranian people had once again disappointed the enemy. “The U.S. and Zionist regime thought they would be able to accomplish what they couldn’t get during the 12-day war by inciting civil unrest. The Iranian nation defeated them once again,” he stated.  

Security forces also maintained a presence during the large-scale rallies. People that passed by thanked them for their service, and some gifted them flowers. A man that watched his young daughter hand a rose to one of the officers said he has no doubt Iran will tackle any challenge thrown in its way by the enemy. “We have decided to prosper while keeping our independence. That is the path we will continue to walk, because there are millions of Iranians ready to die for the nation’s cause,” he explained.