Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced support for protesters in Iran and called on world leaders and international organizations to help change the regime there, according to his posts on X.
Zelenskyy described the current protests as "a clear sign" that the situation will not become easier for Russia.
"And every decent person on this planet sincerely wishes that the people of Iran would finally be freed from the current regime, which has brought so much evil to Ukraine and other countries," Zelenskyy wrote.
The president called on countries, their leaders, and international organizations "to intervene now and help the people" of Iran so that the situation there would change.
Protests have been ongoing across Iran since 28 December 2025, triggered by the collapse of the national currency, the Iranian rial. The demonstrations reflect growing public dissatisfaction amid an economic crisis.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), police, and militias have been using violent methods to suppress the demonstrations. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei controls the army, courts, and media, relying on the IRGC as the key mechanism for maintaining power.
The most intense clashes between security forces and protesters have been recorded in the western regions of the country, the capital Tehran, and the southern province of Baluchistan.
Iranian police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan announced the detention of a large number of protest leaders who had been coordinating actions on social networks.
Khamenei responded that Iran "will not yield to the enemy." He acknowledged economic difficulties but ordered authorities to "put the rioters in their place."
As of 11 January 2026, 538 people had been killed, including 490 protesters and 48 security personnel. More than 10,600 people have been arrested during the two weeks of mass unrest.
Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran's last shah, has called on Iranians to seize government buildings inside the country, and urged the diaspora to replace the flags of the Islamic Republic at embassies with national flags.
