By Admin 
On January 15, 2026, Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh claimed in an interview with state media that there is a conspiracy of foreign powers (mainly America and Israel) behind the ongoing major protests in the country. He said that to make these protests violent, foreign intelligence agencies have provided money, weapons and logistical support. A suspect has been arrested, who was paid 900 million tomans (about US$6,500) to carry out murders and spread unrest.
What are the main claims of the Defense Minister?
- Foreign Conspiracy and Coordination: Iranian intelligence agencies have evidence that the US, Israel and some Western countries held joint meetings in the regional country, where plans were made to create unrest in Iran. In these meetings, programs for increasing the budget and for separatist or terrorist activities were decided.
- Fixed rates for violence: Money was earmarked for violent acts. 500 million tomans (about 3,500 US dollars) for murder of a person. 200 million tomans for burning a car. 80 million tomans for burning the police station and 15 million tomans for any small disruptive act.
- Attacks on religious and cultural sites: Burning of Quran, attacks on mosques and religious places show that these were not peaceful protests but had security and terrorist objectives. These are not protests related to looting or livelihood.
- Drug use and internal killings: Some terrorists were given industrial drugs (synthetic drugs) so that violence increased. In some cases, leaders showed the deaths of their own members by shooting them at close range, in order to arouse public anger. About 60% of deaths were caused by blows to the head, many by stabbing, strangulation or drug overdose.
Aziz Nasirzade said that paying so much money for murder clearly means inciting anger among the public by causing deaths and increasing unrest.
Iran government is calling the protests a foreign conspiracy
This statement comes amid major protests in Iran that began on December 28, 2025, which were triggered by inflation, the fall of the Rial and the economic crisis. But the government is calling it a foreign conspiracy and terrorist activity. State media and officials are repeatedly blaming America and Israel. Opposition and international reports claim that security forces have killed thousands of protesters, while Iran says the deaths are of terrorists and security forces. Internet blackout continues, leading to allegations of hiding the truth. US President Donald Trump has warned about the safety of protesters and talked about military action, but recently said that the killings have stopped.