![Burned municipal buses stand damaged as protests over economic hardship and currency depreciation continue in Tehran, with demonstrators allegedly setting the vehicles on fire during ongoing unrest, in Tehran, Iran, on January 15, 2026. [Fatemeh Bahrami - Anadolu Agency]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/AA-20260115-40264062-40264053-BURNED_BUSES_AMID_ONGOING_PROTESTS_IN_TEHRAN-1-1.jpg)
Iranian authorities have arrested 6,000 people so far over their alleged involvement in anti-government protests and unrest in January, the country’s police chief said on Monday, Anadolu reports. In remarks aired by state broadcaster IRIB, Ahmadreza Radan said the detainees were involved in an attempted coup, and accused them of assisting countries hostile to Iran during the unrest on Jan. 8-9. “We will not release these people, except those who express regret and repent,” he said. The protests began on Dec. 28, 2025, at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar amid a sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial and worsening economic conditions before spreading to several cities across the country. The demonstrations intensified on Jan. 8-9, with Iranian authorities saying some of the protests […]
