Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei speaks during an address marking a religious holiday in Teheran, capital of Iran, on Jan. 17, 2026. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that Iran had defeated the United States and Israel "once again" and had "extinguished the sedition" he alleged was incited by Washington and Tel Aviv. He described U.S. President Donald Trump as a "criminal" for his administration's support of the demonstrations, accusing Washington of causing economic and social harm to the Iranian people.(The Office of the Supreme Leader in Iran/Handout via Xinhua)

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Iranian authorities said the peaceful protests had been hijacked by “vandals,” and the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Friday that security forces had detained about 3,000 people in connection with the unrest.

Amid the easing tensions, short message service in Iran was resumed on Saturday, while schools will reopen on Sunday after a one-week closure, according to Iranian media.

Also on Saturday, Lebanon’s Hezbollah voiced firm support for Iran. In a televised address on the Hezbollah-controlled al-Manar channel, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem called Iran a “stronghold of resistance” and accused the United States of seeking global domination.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement Friday night strongly condemning what it called “meddlesome” remarks by the Group of Seven nations concerning the recent unrest, urging the group to stop interfering in Iran’s internal affairs.