Gunfire echoed through Tehran on Tuesday as heavily armed militias were deployed in the Iranian capital, turning some districts into fortified zones under intensive security.
Video footage showed bursts of automatic weapons in the dark as government buildings, state media sites and major intersections were reportedly placed under surveillance, while armored pickups and masked fighters in Toyotas patrolled the streets.
The trucks were equipped with heavy machine guns and drove in convoys with guns firing into the darkness as armed men shouted orders.
In the video, large guns can be heard rattling as vehicles maneuver through city streets.
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“They are reportedly being used by elements linked to the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF),” he said.
“Their commander speaks in Farsi, and these fighters are Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’bi, Popular Mobilization Force, and Hezbollah fighters who have joined the IRGC. The IRGC are their commanders, and you can hear them shouting in Farsi.”
According to Safavi, the Iranian regime is increasingly relying on foreign proxy forces to maintain control of the capital.
“The regime has now brought in at least 5,000 foreign elements from Iraq and Hezbollah to control Tehran,” he explained.
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Cars burn in a street during a protest against the collapse of the currency in Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2026. (Stringer/WANA via Reuters)
“They guard government buildings and state radio and TV and use Russian-made 50-caliber heavy machine guns.”
Safavi added that “there are heavy clashes at night, as well as street battles between the demonstrators and the special forces.”
The images emerged as the Press agency for human rights activists (HRANA) reported what it described as day 24 of nationwide protests, marked by an ongoing communications blackout.
“The number of confirmed deaths has reached 4,519, while the number of deaths still under investigation stands at 9,049,” the agency said, adding that at least 5,811 people have been seriously injured and 26,314 have been arrested.
HRANA reports also described an overwhelming security presence, especially among law enforcement, the IRGC, Basij units and plainclothes officers after nightfall, creating what the group called an atmosphere of deterrence and fear.
The first protests began on December 28 and quickly spread across the country, driven by economic grievances and opposition to clerical rule.
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Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, January 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
Despite mass arrests, deadly violence and internet shutdowns, demonstrations continue.
“Sometimes the demonstrators hold their own in the face of gunfire, ammunition and volleys of tear gas,” Safavi said.
He claimed that IRGC units attacked a hospital in Gorgan, killing injured patients, stationed snipers on the rooftops and shot into surrounding areas.
“They then took about 76 bodies to a warehouse and refuse to hand them over to families because the armed forces want to bury them secretly,” he alleged.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly blamed foreign enemies for unrest while supporting the IRGC’s response.
President Trump warned Iran on Tuesday that continued assassination threats from leaders in Tehran would lead to overwhelming retaliation.
“If anything ever happens, we’re going to blow the whole thing up — the whole country is going to blow up,” Trump said. NewsNation.
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NCRI President-Elect Maryam Rajavi rejected the idea that external military action could topple the regime.
“A foreign war cannot bring down this regime,” she said in a statement. “What is needed is an organized nationwide resistance, rooted in active, combat-ready forces in the cities of Iran, to defeat one of the most brutal and repressive apparatuses in the world today – the IRGC.”
