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Iran Calls on US to ‘Stop Hypocrisy’ in Gaza War

Members of the Iranian parliament chant slogans in support of Hamas on Oct. 7. (IRNA)
Members of the Iranian parliament chant slogans in support of Hamas on Oct. 7. (IRNA)
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Iran Calls on US to ‘Stop Hypocrisy’ in Gaza War

Members of the Iranian parliament chant slogans in support of Hamas on Oct. 7. (IRNA)
Members of the Iranian parliament chant slogans in support of Hamas on Oct. 7. (IRNA)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called on the United States to stop its “hypocrisy” in the Gaza war.

“More than 120 countries called for an end to the war. Millions of people took to the streets in cities around the globe, including Washington, in support of Palestine and to condemn ‘war crimes’. Yet, the White House prefers to be complicit and abet the collapsing regime of Israel at the expense of countering the global public opinion,” he said on X.

“Since last week, America has been after a humanitarian ceasefire. We received their message. They are completely wrong... They are running the game of war against Gaza and the West Bank simultaneously. Stop hypocrisy and genocide against Gaza,” he continued.

Abdollahian’s post came hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani met in Tehran with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Ibrahim Raisi, a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Baghdad.

With the escalation of the war of words between Iran and Israel, US forces in Iraq and Syria have been subjected to almost daily attacks since Oct. 17 by Iranian-backed armed groups. In response, US forces launched air strikes last week on two unmanned weapons storage facilities in Syria.

Meanwhile, Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani said on Tuesday that Israel will not achieve any of its goals in Gaza.

He added: “The support of America and the West for the crimes of the Zionist entity will increase the complications of the regional security situation,” Tasnim agency reported.

In turn, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi said on Tuesday that the Gaza developments are an “indication of a radical change in regional equations.”

The government-affiliated ISNA agency quoted the minister as saying: “The events in the Gaza Strip are taking place in an area of 350 kilometers, but they have brought about profound cultural changes.”

Vahidi, a prominent leader in the Revolutionary Guards, added that this “profound development” was not limited to Palestine, stressing that the demonstrations at universities, such as Harvard and Oxford, are “manifestations of this change.”

Iranian ambassador to Vienna Abbas Bagherpour warned of the consequences of the war in Gaza on Europe.

“What we are witnessing in Palestine is a failed international system, a broken United Nations, and defective international law,” he said on X, adding: “This situation will lead to devastating chaos for the collective security system.”

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World

Thousands March in US to Back Iranian Anti-government Protesters

Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
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Thousands March in US to Back Iranian Anti-government Protesters

Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Thousands in the United States staged large demonstrations Sunday denouncing the Iranian government's deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters in Iran.

Several thousand people marched in Los Angeles, home to the world's largest Iranian diaspora, while several hundred others gathered in New York, AFP journalist's in both cities reported.

US protesters could be seen carrying signs condemning a "New Holocaust," a "genocide in the making," and the "terror" of the Iranian government.

"My heart is heavy and my soul is crushed, I'm at loss for words to describe how angry I am," said Perry Faraz at the demonstration in Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the US.

The 62-year-old payroll manager, who fled Iran in 2006, learned this week that one of her young cousins had been killed during the overseas rallies held in her native country.

"He wasn't even 10 years old, that's horrible," she said.

Demonstrations sparked by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests late December in what has been widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in recent years.

The rallies subsided after a government crackdown in Iran that rights groups have called a "massacre" carried out by security forces under the cover of a communications blackout that started on January 8.

Norway-based Iran Human Rights says it has verified the deaths of 3,428 protesters killed by security forces, confirming cases through sources within Iran’s health and medical system, witnesses and independent sources.

The NGO warned that the true toll is likely to be far higher. Media cannot independently confirm the figure and Iranian officials have not given an exact death toll.

- Calls for US intervention -

"This mass murdering of the population is terribly upsetting," Ali Parvaneh, a 65-year-old lawyer protesting in LA said.

Like many protesters, Parvaneh carried a "Make Iran Great Again" sign and said he wanted US President Donald Trump to intervene by targeting the country's powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Some in the crowd in LA went as far as to call for the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has been in power for more than 25 years.

After having attacked Iranian nuclear sites in June, Trump sent mixed signals on possible US intervention this week.

The Republican first threatened to intervene if Iranian protesters were killed, but then said he was satisfied by Iranian assurances that demonstrators would not be executed.

"I really hope that Trump will go one step beyond just voicing support," Parvaneh said.

Many protesting in the Californian city chanted slogans in support of the US president and Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former Shah of Iran who was deposed by the popular uprising in 1979.

- 'Don't need a puppet' -

Parvaneh echoed Pahlavi's popularity among some segments of Iran's exiled and expatriate population.

"Had the monarchy stayed in place, it would be much different and Iran would be in a much better situation," he said.

Pahlavi's support base is concentrated abroad while his political sway within Iran is limited.

The former Shah's son, who lives in exile near Washington, said this week he would be ready to return to Iran -- but it is unclear if most Iranians want this.

The Iranian opposition remains divided, and memories of the Shah's brutal repression of his left-wing opponents remain vivid.

Last week, a man caused minor injuries when he drove a truck into a demonstration held by Iranians in Los Angeles, carrying a sign that read: "No Shah. No Regime. USA: Don't Repeat 1953. No Mullah."

The sign was referring to the 1953 coup that saw Iran's government overthrown in a US- and UK-backed operation that had seen Pahlavi installed as the country's leader.

In Los Angeles's Westwood neighborhood, nicknamed "Tehrangeles," Roozbeh Farahanipour believes the diaspora must support Iranians without infringing on their "right to decide their own future."

"They don't need a puppet implanted by the West," said the 54-year-old restaurant owner.

Others in California also share that view.

"Trump is playing the Iranian people," said poet Karim Farsis, a resident of the San Francisco Bay area.

Farsis, an academic, stresses that it is US sanctions -- including those imposed by Trump -- and the Republican's ripping up of a nuclear deal that have contributed in large part to the suffering of the Iranian people.

She also criticized the almost complete ban on Iranians entering the US since June.

"We're living in a really twisted moment," she said. "Trump is saying to Iranians: 'Keep protesting, take over your institutions.'

"But if they find themselves in danger, they can't even find refuge in the United States."

World

Iran President Says Any Attack on Supreme Leader Would Be Declaration of War

In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
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Iran President Says Any Attack on Supreme Leader Would Be Declaration of War

In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Sunday that any attack on the country's supreme leader Ali Khamenei would mean a declaration of war.

"An attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation," Pezeshkian said in a post on X in an apparent response to US President Donald Trump saying it was time to look for a new leader in Iran.

World

Quake Hits Northeast Sicily, No Damage Reported

A man feeds seagulls in Syracuse, Sicily, southern Italy on January 10, 2026. (AFP)
A man feeds seagulls in Syracuse, Sicily, southern Italy on January 10, 2026. (AFP)
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Quake Hits Northeast Sicily, No Damage Reported

A man feeds seagulls in Syracuse, Sicily, southern Italy on January 10, 2026. (AFP)
A man feeds seagulls in Syracuse, Sicily, southern Italy on January 10, 2026. (AFP)

A light earthquake hit the northeastern corner of Sicily on Sunday, authorities said, but no damage was immediately reported.

The quake registering 4.0 on the Richter and Moment Magnitude scales was centered two kilometers (just over a mile) from Militello Rosmarino in the northeastern province of Messina, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV).

It occurred at 2:54 pm local time (1354 GMT) and had a depth of eight kilometers, INGV said.

Il Mattino newspaper said the earthquake was felt throughout the Messina area but no damage to people or buildings had been reported.

The town of approximately 1,200 inhabitants is located just north of the Nebrodi park, Sicily's largest protected area.

Tremors occur frequently in the northeast of Sicily, with a 2.5 magnitude quake occurring at Piraino, to the east, on Saturday.