Iran’s foreign minister said the country is “not seeking war, but is fully prepared for war” as he warned adversaries not to intervene in what has become a bloody crackdown on anti-government dissidents. 

Yesterday’s caution from Abbas Araghchi came after President Trump threatened “strong action” against the Islamic Republic for killing what one Tehran official claims as approximately 2,000 people, with 10,000 arrested.

Despite plunging Iran into an internet blackout on Thursday, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei continues to face challenges to his rule.

It comes after a turbulent year for the Supreme Leader who faced a 12-day conflict with Israel which led to the eventual involvement of the US. The conflict targeted many senior officials including military leaders. Israel’s war in Gaza and attempts to disarm Hezbollah have also meant Iran’s proxies are being weakened leaving it in a precarious position.

Image: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump at the end of their meeting at Mar-a-Lago – Amos Ben Gershom / GPO

Videos trickling out of the country show protesters burning government buildings and chanting “death to the dictator,” while support for Iranian resistance is swelling globally.

The European Parliament banned the country’s diplomats yesterday, with the organisation’s President, Roberta Metsola, saying: 

“This House will not aid in legitimising this regime that has sustained itself through torture, repression and murder.”

Iranians in the diaspora have also taken to the streets in large numbers to show solidarity with those under fire in Iran. 

On Sunday, thousands assembled outside Downing Street, while a day earlier, a man removed the Islamic Republic’s flag from Iran’s London embassy and raised the old monarchic banner in its place.

So how did we get here?

The anti-regime protests erupted in Tehran 17 days ago in response to a major crash of the Iranian rial, as shopkeepers took to the streets to demonstrate against inflation and rising food prices.

They were soon joined by thousands of people calling for an end to the Islamic Republic and the return of the exiled prince Reza Pahvali, whose family was deposed in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. 

As calls for change spread nationwide, the first official fatalities were reported on January 1, with at least six people killed in Azna, Lorestan province. 

Videos filmed outside a police station in the city capture the sound of gunfire echoing through the streets after protesters fled being fired upon by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

Responding to the violence, Trump took to Truth Social to say that if Iran “kills peaceful protesters”, the United States “will come to their rescue.”

Image: President Trump at a roundtable event alongside Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio – The White House / Molly Riley

Seemingly emboldened by the superpower’s support, protests quickly grew and reached more than 100 locations across Iran as Khamenei called on crowds to stop “ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy.” 

With dissidents branded as “terrorist agents” from Israel and America, security authorities from the IRGC have acted with lethal force to try and regain control.

Speaking to the Guardian, Mahsa, a 28-year-old journalist from Mashhad, said on Thursday: 

“They’re charging at crowds in vans and bikes. I have seen them slowing down and deliberately shooting at people’s faces. 

“Many have been injured. The streets are full of blood. I fear I am about to witness a sea of dead people.”

Despite the aggressive tactics being used by Khamenei’s security forces, Iranian’s continue to flood the streets and burn images of the ayatollah, in some instances using his picture to light their cigarettes. 

Support Grows from Outside of Iran

Invigorated by the idea of revolution, protesters have also been bolstered by messages from the exiled prince, Reza Pahlavi.

From his home in Washington DC, the son of the last toppled shah called for resisters to shout from their balconies on January 8 and demonstrate against the regime.

Gauging whether his influence would take root in the politically volatile nation, the prince had his call answered by thousands, as he rattled the current administration enough that internet connection within the country was severed.

He has since encouraged workers in Iran’s transportation, oil, gas and energy industries to strike, as he seeks to weaken Khamenei’s power over the state.

In a post on X he said: “Our goal is no longer merely to come into the streets. The goal is to prepare to seize city centres and hold them.”

Yet the regime has refused to admit any threat of instability posed by Pahlavi, as yesterday they held a pro-government rally in Tehran that was attended by tens of thousands.

Projecting an air of normalcy, Iran’s foreign minister claimed that the protests had “come under total control” as he addressed foreign diplomats.

Image: Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in the Middle East reviewing the UK’s aid response to the conflict in Gaza – FCDO / Ben Dance

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper posted on X soon after, saying she had spoken to Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and told him that the government “must immediately end the violence, uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and ensure British nationals are safe.”

In response, Aragchi said he had warned the UK to “avoid interfering in Iran’s internal affairs.”

Featured Image via Megan Norcott

Responding to “generationally high threats” to Britain’s safety, the Security Strategy sets out the government’s “historic commitment” to allocate 5 per cent of the UK’s GDP to national security by 2035.

This expenditure will be divided by a 3.5 per cent and 1.5 per cent split between “core defence” and “resilience and security” measures, with 4.1 per cent of the total 5 per cent set to be achieved by 2027.

Downing Street has not yet confirmed the source of such funds, however, Sir Keir Starmer has warned of “difficult compromises and trade-offs on resource allocation and prioritisation” to accommodate increased investment in the nation’s armed forces and security infrastructure.

This development comes as proposed welfare cuts are currently being debated within the Labour party.

The National Security Strategy identifies a range of key threats, with ongoing Russian aggression in Europe being the most pressing. Others include the rise of “extremist ideologies” and illegal migration within Britain, growing “strategic competition” between major powers, and broader non-military challenges such as energy insecurity and cyber vulnerabilities.

To combat these issues, a three pronged “strategic framework” is outlined, comprising plans to strengthen security at home, improve strength abroad and increase sovereign capabilities.

As part of strengthening security at home, the Strategy discusses increased efforts to discourage irregular migration and increase resilience against “external shocks” such as a biological attack or natural disaster.

National Exercises are scheduled to be run in order to test the resilience and “whole-of-society preparedness” when confronted with emergencies, with £1 billion allocated to a new network of national biosecurity centres and £520m to diagnostic, therapeutic and vaccine manufacturing facilities.

Looking outwards, the National Security Strategy describes the international arena as an increasingly transactional and volatile space “in which economic and military measures will be more commonly used as means of leverage and bargaining.”

Embracing a “NATO First” approach to UK defence, the Security Strategy aims to strengthen ties with the EU and US by focusing on enhanced military interoperability, technology sharing, and collaborative scientific research.

Ukraine continues to be an issue of concern, with the Strategy pressing for the cooperation of allies to ensure a “durable settlement” to the war.

A number of investments have been earmarked in the Strategy with the intent to build Britain’s “sovereign capabilities” and “strengthen our hand when we transact business with those who have sovereign assets that we seek access to.”

The sovereign nuclear warhead programme will receive a £15 billion investment while £31 billion will be allocated to build a new class of submarines. £86 billion has also been provided for “research and development” in the field of AI and military technology.

Six new munitions and energetics factories and 7,000 long range weapons are scheduled to be built within the UK as the Strategy asserts that funds redirected to defence spending will be recouped by working people through the creation of jobs within the newly “dynamic” sector.

Climate change is also recognised as a national security threat, with £81 million allocated to develop an early warning system in Greenland.

Featured image via kenny1 / Shutterstock.