Tehran, Iran – Authorities have issued a series of warnings promising the use of force against anyone in the country who engages in actions perceived to be detrimental to national security and aiding “enemies,” as the war with the United States and Israel enters its second week.
The Intelligence Ministry told the Iranians in a statement carried by state media on Saturday that several “American Zionist mercenaries” have been photographing missile impact points to send the images to “terrorist satellite networks” and online sites based outside Iran.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
These “soldiers of Israel” were “acting as the fifth column of the Zionist regime and its eyes inside the country,” he said, adding that they will be severely punished under a law amended to impose harsh penalties following the 12-day war with the United States and Israel in June 2025.
The ministry also renewed its call for people to report any suspicious activity through phone calls and local messaging services, as the global Internet remains offline more than a week after the war’s opening salvo killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top commanders in central Tehran.
The internet blackout has restricted Iranians’ news sources to state media, which does not cover many events, including forced evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military, but focuses primarily on successful Iranian attacks.
Therefore, many people follow the news through a handful of foreign Persian-language channels that are widely available through satellite connections at home.
The authorities have been sending jamming signals to restrict the channels since shortly before the start of the war, because they consider some to be “terrorist” media financed by opponents to advocate for regime change in Iran.
In mass text messages sent on Saturday to the “resilient people of Islamic Iran,” the police force, whose stations and headquarters have been bombed by Israel and the United States across the country, also said images of the attacks were being sent to “masters” abroad and must stop.
Two military commanders suggested that the establishment armed forces had been given the green light to fire live ammunition at any offender to ensure state security.
Police Chief Ahmad-Reza Radan told state television that his forces have been ordered to shoot any “thieves” who may pose a potential threat during war conditions, where many people have left their homes in Tehran and other big cities – as encouraged by officials – to seek safety in other cities.
Salar Velayatmadar, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who now serves as a member of parliament representing Qazvin, located west of Tehran, issued the most explicit warning yet on state television.
“Parents, if your son and daughter don’t listen to us, it’s not our fault,” he said during a live show Thursday night. “Any person inside Iranian soil who lets a sound come out of their throat that aligns themselves with the enemy, their feet are in Tel Aviv and their head is with Netanyahu, which is why the order has been issued to shoot them.
“We don’t want them to kill their children because they are ignorant and stupid,” said the lawmaker, dressed in IRGC clothing.
This comes after US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Iranian citizens to remain vigilant in their homes and await the time when they could be ordered to take to the streets and overthrow the theocratic establishment that has been in power since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
They have also demanded that the armed forces of the IRGC, army and police lay down their arms or die, a notion that has been firmly rejected by Iran’s military and political authorities as they fire projectiles across the region.
Iranian authorities, in turn, have called on establishment supporters to remain on the streets and congregate in mosques at all hours of the day, despite the war, to mourn Khamenei, show support for the system and maintain control of the situation on the ground.
State media sometimes broadcast these meetings live, showing images of pro-state protesters chanting slogans against the policies of the US and Israeli governments and chanting religious songs while waving flags or participating in motorcycle and vehicle parades.
The IRGC’s Basij paramilitary forces continue to patrol the streets of Tehran and cities across the country at all hours of the day. They have also established numerous heavily armed checkpoints, especially around bombed bases.
Thousands of Iranians died during nationwide protests earlier this year, mainly on the nights of January 8 and 9. The government blames “terrorists” and “rioters” armed and trained by the United States and Israel, but the United Nations and human rights organizations said the state was responsible for a deadly crackdown on peaceful protesters.
Messages from the warring parties on Saturday continued to indicate that attacks will continue for the foreseeable future.
Iran’s military said it would stop attacks on regional neighbors only if its territory is not used to launch attacks, while Trump demanded “unconditional surrender” as the United States and Israel seek to assassinate more leaders.
