Protests Erupt Hours After Khamenei and Behdarvand Praise Government Rally

While the Supreme Leader and President of the Islamic Republic have praised their supporters and threatened protesters in messages following a government rally, claiming the end of protests, a short video shows that protesters are still present in the streets chanting against the Islamic Republic and the regime's leaders. Internet access has been completely cut off in Iran for six days. The Iranian government, through extensive propaganda, called for its supporters to gather on Monday in all cities of Iran, but the government rally turned into a fiasco. Users who still have access to the internet via Starlink satellite internet reported that the government supporters' gathering was small, limited, and accompanied by disappointment. Many users reacted to this government rally. Even reports from the Islamic Republic's state television have faced skepticism, with multiple reports about "fabrication and manipulation" to make the rally appear more enthusiastic. Ali Khamenei stated in a message about the government rally in Iran on Monday evening: "We thwarted the plans of foreign enemies that were supposed to be implemented by internal mercenaries." Masoud Behdarvand also described the government rally on Monday as a "barrier to the nefarious plans of America, its allies, and Israel," labeling Iranian protesters as "mercenaries" and stating that this event was a resounding response to the "evil designs of enemies and mercenaries." Despite severe repression and media monopolization by the government inside Iran, two very short videos were released on Monday night showing angry people in the streets of Tehran chanting "Death to Khamenei" and "Death to the dictator." In parts of these videos, protesters clashed with security forces and shouted "Shameless." Holding government rallies has been one of Ali Khamenei's tactics over the past three decades to suppress protests. The most famous example dates back to 2009, when seven months after widespread protests, Khamenei held a government rally on January 9 under the pretext of insulting sacred values, and after that, with the arrest of protest leaders, the protests subsided. However, in the recent protests, the tactics of the Supreme Leader have not been effective despite severe repression and internet shutdown. On Monday night, security forces in some areas of Tehran, including Tehranpars, were roaming the streets on their motorcycles to create fear and terror while chanting "Allahu Akbar," but people threw trash at them from their windows and shouted "Death to the dictator." The White House spokesperson stated: Airstrikes against the positions of the Islamic Republic are on Trump's options table. Donald Trump warned with the threat of imposing a 25% tariff on countries dealing with the Islamic Republic. Time: The number of casualties in the Iranian uprising may be in the thousands; an estimate of 6,000 casualties in three days has been reported.