Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for national unity as the United States escalates economic pressure on Tehran, insisting that cohesion among officials and citizens can “neutralise” attempts to sow discord.
Washington last month announced an “Economic D‑Day” campaign, described as its toughest sanctions regime, aimed at cutting all financial lifelines sustaining the Iranian government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reports AL Jazeera.
Pezeshkian said the measures would not force abrupt policy changes that could trigger further unrest. “Through war, blockade and sanctions, the enemies seek to create division, fissures and unrest inside the country,” he told officials Friday, in remarks recalling the 2019–2020 protests that began over fuel prices and widened into antigovernment demonstrations.
In a televised appearance earlier this week, he cautioned: “People are now on the edge; if I impose another pressure, they may fall off.”
Still, he confirmed plans to double the price of one tier of petrol quotas for private vehicles and reduce monthly allocations.
Iran continues to face energy shortages driven by fuel smuggling, damaged or neglected oil and gas infrastructure, and inefficient vehicles. Pezeshkian warned that broader price hikes would raise logistics costs and fuel inflation already affecting households.
The national currency fell to a record low of more than 2.25 million rials per US dollar when markets opened Saturday.
Meanwhile, military confrontation with the US has deepened. American forces bombed an oil tanker near Kharg Island on Saturday, days after strikes on southern Iran and shipping in Hormuz. Washington has blocked Iranian tankers from leaving southern ports as part of a naval campaign to choke crude exports.
Tehran has said it remains willing to return to commitments under a June memorandum of understanding with Washington if the US does the same.
Warnings of unrest
Mounting pressures have prompted warnings from Iranian authorities about potential protests. At the end of August, the IRGC intelligence directorate claimed the US, Israel and Western allies were shifting to “pressure from within” to spark demonstrations.
Judiciary chief Gholam‑Hossein Mohseni‑Ejei said courts would prosecute those undermining national security “more decisively than all previous eras.” Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf described the “fourth battlefield” as the street, alongside military, diplomatic and economic fronts.
Police chief Ahmad‑Reza Radan identified livelihoods, unemployment, the economy and petrol as possible “pretexts” for unrest, ordering continuous monitoring and readiness of forces.
A late‑August statement attributed to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei stressed unity: “I declare decisively that anything harmful to social cohesion is prohibited.” Supporters have since displayed the message on posters and banners nationwide.
Civil authorities have intensified punishments against those accused of undermining security. On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld a sentence of at least 12.5 years for businessman Sadegh Saedinia, with confiscation of millions in assets, after his brand posted Instagram stories announcing a strike in support of January protests. He later issued a “confession” of regret.
Officials classify the January protests as a “coup” orchestrated by the US, Israel and allies, carried out by armed agents inside Iran. Judicial authorities say some of those executed since the war with the US began on February 28 were involved in the unrest.
