Any Instability At Home Would Spread Across Region, Says Iran

The department called the move an important step in countering Iran-backed militancy.

In a post on X, the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs said the Quds Force, the IRGC’s external operations arm, has fuelled violence across the Middle East and beyond, while also repressing its own population at home.

The bureau praised the decision by Argentina under President Javier Milei, saying the designation strengthens international efforts to counter terrorism linked to Iran and to support the Iranian people.

Argentina announced the move after Milei signed a decree formally designating the IRGC’s Quds Force and 13 individuals associated with its external operations as terrorists.

Iran has not yet responded publicly to the announcement.

In a speech broadcast on state media, Khamenei said Iran considers the US president a criminal “because of the casualties, damage and accusations he has inflicted upon the Iranian nation.” He claimed the United States aims to “swallow Iran.”

Khamenei described the recent nationwide protests as an American-backed “sedition” and said many of those involved had been arrested. He praised Iran’s security and law enforcement forces, saying they had “performed well” and detained a large number of protesters.

“We do not intend to lead the country towards war,” Khamenei said, adding, however, that Iran would not leave “domestic criminals” or “international criminals” unpunished.

Iran has been gripped by widespread protests in recent weeks, which authorities say are being instigated by foreign powers. Human rights groups and opposition activists, however, say the demonstrations are driven by domestic grievances and have accused security forces of using excessive force against protesters.

In a statement, the global internet access watchdog said overall connectivity remains at about 2 percent, with no signs of a meaningful return of services nationwide.

The assessment comes as Iranian state news agencies have reported the restoration of the so-called “national internet,” a restricted domestic network that limits access to sites hosted outside the country.

Meanwhile, an Iranian Telegram channel reported on Saturday that while some virtual private networks (VPNs) were able to connect, access to Google and other websites hosted outside Iran remained unavailable without a VPN.

The channel added that even with a VPN, many Iranian websites were not accessible, underscoring the continued disruption and fragmentation of online services across the country.

The news agency said that despite reports of sporadic unrest, the Islamic Republic has declared that “calm” has been restored nationwide. It added that state media, amid US threats of possible intervention should the killings continue, have reported further arrests of protesters.

One source told Reuters that Tehran has been calmer since Sunday, adding that drones have been flying over the city and that no signs of protests were observed on Thursday and Friday.

The human rights group Hengaw said no protest gatherings have been held since Sunday, noting that “the security environment remains highly restrictive.” The group told Reuters that its independent sources confirm a heavy military and security presence in cities and towns where protests previously took place, as well as in several areas that had not seen major demonstrations.

A resident in northern Iran, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said the streets appeared calm, although reports of sporadic unrest have continued to emerge.

Hengaw also reported that a female nurse was killed by direct fire from government forces during protests in Karaj. Meanwhile, the government-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported clashes in Falavarjan, in Isfahan province, on Thursday.

An elderly woman living in a city in northwestern Iran told Reuters that scattered protests, though less intense, were still continuing. State broadcaster Press TV quoted Iran’s police chief as saying that calm had been restored across the country.

Earlier, the editorial board of Iran International, citing reviews of internal sources, medical data and field reports, said the death toll from the protests stood at at least 12,000. CBS News also confirmed the report, putting the number of victims at between 12,000 and 20,000.

However, the US-based human rights group Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said 2,677 people were killed, including 2,478 protesters and 163 individuals identified as affiliated with the government.

In a statement, the prominent reformist politician said it would be “unfair to ignore the government’s civil conduct in the early days of the popular protests.” He added that remarks by Israeli officials and expressions of support from the United States left “no doubt about the formation of a major, premeditated conspiracy against Iran.”

Khatami did not refer to reports of protesters being killed by government forces. However, he said that “the entry of violence quickly changed the scene of formally recognising the nation’s right to protest,” a reference to the escalation of unrest.

His comments come amid continued demonstrations across Iran and sharply differing assessments by Iranian officials and critics over the causes of the protests and the government’s response.