Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a warning against any upcoming protests, describing demonstrators as “neo-ISIS” and cautioning that harsher measures than those in January await them.
BBC Persian reported that a mass text message sent by the IRGC’s Intelligence Unit on Monday stated, “The evil enemy… is once again seeking to create fear and chaos in the streets. A blow harder than January 8 is awaiting the neo-ISIS [Islamic State].”
Anti-establishment protests in Iran, which began on December 28, saw deadly clashes on January 8 and 9. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana), at least 7,000 people were killed during the unrest.
On March 8, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Iranians to rise against the regime, though on March 12 he admitted he could not confirm whether the protests would topple the government.
With inputs from BBC