• Rights groups claim at least 16 killed, hundreds arrested during first week of protests • Tehran announces monthly allowance of $7 per person for four months to ease economic pressures JERUSALEM/DUBAI: In a message meant to provoke the Tehran regime, Israeli PM Benjamin Netan­yahu said on Sunday that his country stood in solidarity with the people of Iran, as protests over soaring inflation spread across several cities. Rights groups estimate that at least 16 people have died during a week of violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces. Deaths and arrests have been reported through the week both by state media and rights groups, though the figures differ. Reuters has not been able to independently verify the numbers. “We stand in solidarity with the struggle of the Iranian people and with their aspirations for freedom, liberty and justice,” Netanyahu said at the weekly cabinet meeting. “It is very possible that we are stan­ding at a moment when the Iranian people are taking their destiny into their own hands,” he said, according to a statement from his office. Netanyahu also addressed Tehran’s nuclear programme, saying he discussed it with US President Donald Trump during his official visit this week. “We reiterated our shared position of zero enrichment on the one hand, and the need, of course, to remove the 400 kilograms of enriched material from Iran and subject the sites to strict and genuine oversight,” Netanyahu said, adding that the conversation took place at the outset of the “dramatic” demonstrations. Monthly payment Iranian authorities on Sunday announced they will give a monthly allowance to every citizen in the country to alleviate economic pressure, after a week of protests. “Individuals can receive an amount equivalent to one million Tomans (approximately $7) per person per month, which is credited to their accounts for four months,” government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told state TV. She said the amount will be given to every Iranian for four months in the form of credit that can be used to purchase certain goods and is inte­nded to “reduce the economic pressure on the people.” In Iran, which has a population of more than 85 million people, the minimum wage is roughly $100 (85 euros) and average monthly salaries are around $200. Iranians mostly use mobile phones and debit cards for their daily purchases instead of cash. Speaking to state media, Iran’s police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said that security forces had been targeting protest leaders for arrest over the previous two days, saying “a big number of leaders on the virtual space have been detained”. The most intense clashes have been reported in western parts of Iran but there have also been protests and clashes between demonstrators and police in Tehran, in central areas, and in the southern Baluchistan province. Speaking on Sunday, Vice President Mohammadreza Aref said the government acknowledged the country faced shortcomings while warning that some people were seeking to exploit the protests. “We expect the youth not to fall into the trap of the enemies,” Aref said in comments carried by state media. Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2026