"Hundreds of demonstrators were seen marching through the streets of Bandar Abbas, in the southern province of Hormozgan, on Sunday, as protests continued to escalate across Iran. Protests in several Iranian cities spiralled into riots with public property vandalised. Meanwhile, the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei confirmed on Friday, January 9, that Iran will not show leniency toward 'vandals', reaffirming that the Iranian regime was built on immense sacrifices. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States and Israel of 'being directly involved' in the unrest that grapples Iran, cautioning against attempts to 'convert the peaceful protests into violence'. Unrest has been reported in several Iranian cities, with protests in some areas escalating into riots and damage to public property. Tehran’s police chief said on Tuesday that security forces had responded to rioters with 'power and force', adding that a 'large number' had been arrested after being separated from peaceful protesters. The protests began in Tehran in late December and later spread to other cities, driven by worsening economic conditions and the decline of the national currency. Iranian officials say they are seeking to address protesters’ 'justified' demands within existing capabilities, while warning that hostile actors are exploiting economic hardship to fuel unrest. On January 2, Donald Trump warned in a post on his Truth Social platform that if Iranian authorities fired on protesters, 'the United States of America will come to their rescue'."