Tehran militias turned large sections of Iran’s capital into armed zones Tuesday night as heavily armed forces fired machine guns through city streets amid escalating unrest. Video footage circulating online showed convoys of pickup trucks mounted with heavy weapons moving through Tehran after dark, with gunfire echoing across multiple districts. The show of force followed nearly four weeks of nationwide protests challenging Iran’s ruling clerical regime.
According to Ali Safavi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, the regime deployed foreign-linked fighters to secure the capital. “There has been a deployment of dozens of Toyotas mounted with heavy machine guns (DShK) and other heavy weapons in Tehran,” Safavi told Fox News Digital. He said the units included forces tied to Hezbollah and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces operating under the command of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Safavi added, “The regime has brought in at least 5,000 foreign elements now from Iraq and Hezbollah to control Tehran,” stating they were guarding government buildings and state media facilities with Russian-made .50 caliber weapons. He described ongoing nighttime clashes, saying, “At night, there are fierce clashes that are ongoing as well as running street battles between the protesters and the special unit forces.”
The Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that protests had entered their 24th day, with communications still restricted. The agency said confirmed deaths reached 4,519, with thousands more under investigation, alongside mass arrests and serious injuries. HRANA also cited a heavy presence of IRGC, Basij units, and plainclothes agents creating what it called an atmosphere of fear.
President Trump addressed the crisis Tuesday, warning Tehran against continued threats. “Anything ever happens, we’re going to blow the whole — the whole country’s going to get blown up,” President Trump said.
