President Masoud Pezeshkian has pledged to overhaul Iran’s struggling economy, saying his government is “ready to listen to its people” after two weeks of increasingly violent nationwide demonstrations.
Pezeshkian adopted a conciliatory approach during an interview on state television on Sunday, saying his embattled administration was determined to resolve the country’s economic problems while accusing the United States and Israel of fomenting deadly unrest.
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He said the government’s duty is to solve problems, address people’s concerns, and not allow what he called “rioters” to disrupt the country, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.
“Therefore, we ask families not to allow their youth to get involved in the unrest of terrorists and rioters,” he was quoted as saying.
“The enemy has brought trained terrorists into the country … Rioters are not protesting people. We hear the protesters and have made every effort to solve their problems,” the president also said.
He added: “Our goal is to distribute everything we have fairly among the people; regardless of what party, faction, ethnicity, race, or even province, dialect, or language these people belong to.”
The crisis erupted after the Iranian currency plummeted in late December after years of economic duress, triggering mass protests over soaring living costs and inflation. Those protests have since taken on a more political and anti-government nature.
The president accused the US and Israel of trying to “sow chaos and disorder” by directing elements of the unrest, and he called on Iranians to distance themselves from what he described as “rioters and terrorists”.
The demonstrations are the largest in Iran since a 2022-2023 protest movement spurred by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women.
“People have concerns. We should sit with them, and if it is our duty, we should resolve their concerns,” Pezeshkian said. “But the higher duty is not to allow a group of rioters to come and destroy the entire society.”
Tohid Asadi, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Tehran, said Iranian officials had spent the past week trying to draw a distinction between protesters and what they described as foreign-trained rioters.
Asadi added that senior officials had acknowledged public anger as justified, citing “soaring prices, high inflation and the drastic devaluation of the local currency that right now puts a huge amount of pressure on the pockets of local people”.
State media reported that 109 security personnel have been killed during the protests.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reinforced a distinction between peaceful and armed demonstrators during remarks to lawmakers on Sunday, saying Iran recognised “people’s peaceful protests over economic concerns” but would stand against “terrorists”.
A former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, Ghalibaf also issued a stark warning to Washington after US President Donald Trump threatened military action if Iranian authorities kill demonstrators.
“In the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories [Israel] as well as all US bases and ships will be our legitimate target,” he said as some lawmakers reportedly chanted anti-American slogans.
Trump had declared on social media that the US stood “ready to help” Iran, suggesting possible strikes but ruling out ground troops. His comments represented a significant escalation as Tehran faces its most serious domestic challenge in years.
The Ministry of Interior claimed the unrest is subsiding as Iran’s attorney general warned participants they could face capital punishment. A nationwide internet blackout has persisted for more than 60 hours, according to monitoring groups.
Tehran has warned it will retaliate against US military bases and Israel if Iran is attacked. Iran’s parliamentary speaker was addressing US President Donald Trump, who has threatened Iran’s leadership against using force on demonstrators.
New Delhi, India – Joint naval drills involving several members of the BRICS bloc, including China, Russia and Iran, have kicked off near South Africa’s coast with South Africa describing the manoeuvres as a vital response to rising maritime tensions globally.
The weeklong Will for Peace 2026 exercises, which started on Saturday, are being led by China in Simon’s Town, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean. They will include drills on rescue and maritime strike operations and technical exchanges, China’s Ministry of National Defence said.
The drills involving warships from the participating countries come amid frayed ties between South Africa and the United States. Washington sees the bloc as an economic threat.
The BRICS acronym is derived from the initial letters of the founding member countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – with South Africa serving as the current chair. India and Brazil, however, opted out of the drills.
So why do the drills matter, and what is their aim? And why are some founding members not participating?
From left, the Chinese guided-missile destroyer Tangshan (Hull 122), the Russian corvette Stoikiy, the Iranian IRIS Naghdi and the South African SAS Amatola (F145) in Simon’s Town harbour near Cape Town on January 9, 2026 [Rodger Bosch/AFP]
Who is participating in the drills?
China and Iran sent destroyers, Russia and the United Arab Emirates sent corvettes and South Africa deployed a mid-sized frigate.
Chinese officials leading the opening ceremony on Saturday south of Cape Town said Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia and Ethiopia were joining the drills as observers.
Speaking at the ceremony, South Africa’s joint task force commander, Captain Nndwakhulu Thomas Thamaha, said the drills were more than a military exercise and a statement of intent among the BRICS group of nations.
The host country described this as a BRICS Plus operation aimed at ensuring “the safety of shipping and maritime economic activities”. BRICS Plus is an expansion that enables the geopolitical bloc to engage with and court additional countries beyond its core members.
South African officials said all members of the bloc were invited to the drills.
Iran joined the group in 2024. The bloc was simultaneously expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Naval officers march along the quay in Simon’s Town harbour on January 10, 2026, the day the exercises involving BRICS Plus countries began. [Rodger Bosch/AFP]
Why do the drills matter?
South Africa has previously carried out naval drills with China and Russia.
“It is a demonstration of our collective resolve to work together,” Thamaha said. “In an increasingly complex maritime environment, cooperation such as this is not an option. It is essential.”
The South African Department of Defence said in a statement that this year’s exercise “reflects the collective commitment of all participating navies to safeguard maritime trade routes, enhance shared operational procedures and deepen cooperation in support of peaceful maritime security initiatives”.
The ongoing exercises come amid heightened geopolitical tensions. They started just three days after the United States seized a Venezuela-linked Russian oil tanker in the North Atlantic, saying it had violated Western sanctions.
The seizure followed a US military operation that abducted President Nicolas Maduro from the capital, Caracas, with his wife, Cilia Flores and a pledge from US President Donald Trump to “run” Venezuela and exploit its vast oil reserves.
The Trump administration has also threatened military action against countries such as Cuba, Colombia and Iran and the semiautonomous Danish territory Greenland.
US President Donald Trump, right, meets South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House on May 21, 2025, in Washington, DC [Evan Vucci/AP Photo]
How does Trump see BRICS?
Trump has accused some BRICS members of pursuing “anti-American” policies.
While Washington’s relations continue to be sour with China and Russia, Trump has attacked Iran and imposed punishing tariffs on India, which it has accused of funding Russia’s war against Ukraine by buying Russian oil.
After taking office in January 2025, Trump had threatened all the BRICS members with an additional 10 percent tariff.
“When I heard about this group from BRICS, six countries, basically, I hit them very, very hard. And if they ever really form in a meaningful way, it will end very quickly,” Trump said in July before the annual summit of the developing nations. “We can never let anyone play games with us.”
In their joint statement from July, the BRICS leaders took a defiant tone and called out global concern over a “rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures” without naming the US and condemned the military strikes on Iran.
A group of pro-Ukraine protesters demonstrate against the Russian navy’s presence in Simon’s Town on January 9, 2026 [Rodger Bosch/AFP]
Who opted out of the joint drills and why?
Two of the founding members of the BRICS alliance, India and Brazil, are not participating in the naval drills.
While Brasilia joined the exercises as an observer, New Delhi stayed away.
Since Trump returned to the White House, New Delhi has seen its stock crash in Washington.
India’s purchase of Russian oil is among the biggest flashpoints in their bilateral ties with a trade deal hanging in the balance.
For New Delhi, opting out of the drills is “about balancing ties with the US”, said Harsh Pant, a geopolitical analyst at the New Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation. “But these so-called wargames are also not the BRICS mandate.”
BRICS essentially is not a military alliance but an intergovernmental partnership of developing nations focused on economic cooperation and trade aimed at breaking an overreliance on the West.
Pant told Al Jazeera that for China, Russia, Iran and to some extent South Africa, the joint military exercise “helps [a narrative] about positioning themselves vis-a-vis the US at this juncture”.
“India would prefer not to be tagged in the BRICS wargames,” Pant said, adding that New Delhi would also not be comfortable with the gradual evolution of BRICS’s foundational nature. “This is not really something that India can take forward, both pragmatically and normatively.”
On top of that, Pant argued, there are key differences between countries in BRICS Plus – like the UAE and Iran, or Egypt and Iran – for the bloc to become a formidable military alliance.
A Russian vessel arrives at Naval Base Simon’s Town before the BRICS Plus naval exercises [Esa Alexander/Reuters]
When did South Africa last host joint drills?
South Africa conducted Exercise Mosi, as it was previously called, twice with Russia and China.
The first Exercise Mosi, which means “smoke” in the Sesotho language, took place in November 2019. The second iteration, Exercise Mosi II, was held in February 2023, coinciding with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
South Africa had faced heat from the West for hosting the joint drills then.
A third edition was scheduled for late 2025, but it overlapped with a Group of 20 summit that was held in South Africa in November. Washington did not send any delegates. The ongoing Will for Peace 2026, now rebranded, is the third edition of the drills.
What’s at stake for South Africa?
The exercises in South African waters will likely further raise tensions with Washington.
Since Trump took office again, South Africa-US ties have deteriorated over a range of issues, and Trump has imposed 30 percent tariffs on South African goods.
A part of the fallout is also rooted in the South African government’s decision to bring a genocide case against Israel, a top US ally, before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. It accuses the Israeli government of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. In a preliminary ruling, the world court found it plausible that Israeli actions amounted to genocide.
When South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the White House in May, hoping to mend ties, Trump falsely claimed that white South African farmers were facing systematic killings.
Ramaphosa rejected the claims. None of South Africa’s political parties says there is a “white genocide” happening in the country as the Trump administration claims.
Hosting the wargames at a time of global geopolitical upheaval has its own risks, given that the US sees some of the participants as a military threat.
Ramaphosa’s government also faces criticism from one of its largest coalition partners, the liberal Democratic Alliance (DA). A DA spokesperson, Chris Hattingh, said in a statement that the bloc has no defensive role or shared military plans to warrant such exercises.
Three-time Australian Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev has warmed up for an assault on this year’s opening Grand Slam in perfect fashion by winning the Brisbane International final.
The Russian world number 13 was too strong for American Brandon Nakashima on Sunday and ran out a 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) winner in 96 minutes at Pat Rafter Arena for his 22nd ATP Tour title.
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Medvedev broke a shell-shocked Nakashima twice in the first set and looked on course for a quick victory.
Nakashima rallied in the second to force a tiebreak, but the towering Russian raced to a 5-0 lead in the breaker, and the match was as good as over.
“I started pretty strong, but then Brandon found his way back, saved some match points, then almost got it to a third set,” Medvedev said.
The Australian Open begins in Melbourne on January 18.
“It’s been a great start to the year,” said Medvedev, who made the final in Brisbane in 2019.
“I said then that I would try and come back and win it. I came back seven or eight years later, and I’m happy to hold the trophy.”
Medvedev was the Australian Open runner-up in 2021, 2022 and 2024 [Dan Peled/Reuters]
Voters in Benin are casting ballots to select members of parliament and local representatives, just weeks after a failed coup attempt by army mutineers.
President Patrice Talon’s governing coalition is projected to strengthen its already powerful position in Sunday’s elections, with the main opposition Democrats party barred from the local polls.
The streets of economic capital Cotonou were calm as polling stations opened at 7am local time (06:00 GMT) on Sunday, according to the AFP news agency. Polls are scheduled to close at 5pm (16:00 GMT).
“I’m coming to vote early so I don’t have to deal with the midday crowds after church,” restaurateur Adeline Sonon, 32, told AFP after casting her ballot.
The single-round legislative polls will elect 109 members of the National Assembly, where Talon’s three-party bloc hopes to strengthen its majority.
The Democrats, contesting only the parliamentary races, risk ceding ground to the ruling coalition, which currently holds 81 seats.
Some observers say the opposition may lose all 28 seats, given the current electoral law requiring parties to gather support from 20 percent of registered voters in each of the country’s 24 voting districts to stand for parliament.
The elections come weeks after a deadly coup attempt by soldiers on December 7, which was thwarted in a matter of hours by the military, with support from neighbouring Nigeria.
The campaign unfolded without large rallies, with most parties opting for grassroots strategies like door-to-door canvassing.
“All measures have been taken to guarantee a free, transparent and secure vote. No political ambition can justify violence or endanger national unity,” head of the electoral commission, Sacca Lafia, said on Saturday.
The legislative elections are set to define the political landscape ahead of April’s presidential poll, with the opposition struck off the ballot.
While Talon, 67, who is nearing the end of his second five-year term, is barred from running in April’s elections, his hand-picked successor, Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is a strong favourite to win.
We, the undersigned, write to you today as survivors of state violence.
We are a collective of former hunger strikers from Palestine, Ireland and Guantánamo Bay. Hunger strikes end only when power intervenes, or when people die. We learned, through pain, permanent damage, and watching our comrades fall, how states behave when prisoners have no choice but to refuse the only right afforded to them: food.
As such, we write in uncompromising solidarity with the hunger strikers held today in British prisons: Qesser Zuhrah, Amu Gib, Heba Muraisi, Kamran Ahmed, Teuta Hoxha, Jon Cink, Lewie Chiaramello, and Muhammad Umer Khalid. They are imprisoned on remand, without trial and without conviction. For some, their remand has lasted over a year, and for most, they will not see trial for two.
The UK government has chosen prolonged remand, isolation and their censorship. It has chosen to restrict their contact with loved ones, allow medical neglect, and deployed the language of terror in an insidious attempt to deliberately strip these prisoners of public sympathy and basic rights before any trial takes place.
We cannot forget what the hunger strikers today stand for. They stand for Palestine. They stand for dismantling the infrastructure of weapons that kills Palestinians. They stand for the end of the apartheid regime implemented by the Israeli government. They stand in solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners. They stand for the complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.
For years, Palestinian prisoners have been subjected to systematic abuse inside Israeli prisons, including well-documented torture, extreme sexual violence, medical neglect, and death in custody. Yet, the UK government, through its unwavering support for the Israeli state continues to choose to be complicit in its actions. It chooses to continue to arm Israel and shield Israeli officials from accountability while Palestinian bodies – men, women and children – are violated and destroyed in their streets, in their homes, and behind bars.
The Palestine Action political prisoners began their hunger strike when they had no other choice. The state’s decision to rely on the use of the classification of “terror” to enforce the systematic repression of those who refuse to conform has left them with no other alternative as they seek the rights they are entitled to by law.
This is not a new phenomenon: the use of the word “terror” has long been used to manufacture fear, to poison public perception, to justify the repeated violation of even the most basic human rights. Once this label is attached, rights become conditional, liberty becomes transactional, and the presumption of innocence evaporates. The rule of law that is so proudly claimed to be upheld is swiftly desecrated in the face of a singular word, deployed by unscrupulous politicians determined to protect their own interests: “terrorist”.
The proscription of Palestine Action was not about safety. It was about control. The repeated and flagrant breaches of sub judice were not about convincing the public that this was a dangerous organisation; it was about condemning the prisoners before they stood trial. It was about isolating them, criminalising solidarity, and sending a warning to anyone who might speak or organise against the Israeli war machine.
No trial held under an atmosphere of state-manufactured fear can be deemed as fair, and no jury exposed to decades of terrorism rhetoric can operate free of bias. These prisoners were smeared the moment the announcement of their arrest made mention of a “terrorism connection”, despite those proceedings not having taken place.
We therefore demand the following:
1. An urgent ministerial meeting with families and legal representatives to agree on actions that will preserve the lives of the hunger strikers. Immediate bail for the Palestine Action prisoners (known as the Filton 24) and all hunger strikers.
2. Dropping of terror charges designed to criminalise dissent.
3. Fair trial conditions free from fear-driven narrative and political interference.
4. Immediate access to independent medical care chosen by the prisoners.
5. An end to censorship and restrictions on family visits.
In 1981, Britain chose to let the Irish hunger strikers die in the Long Kesh prison. In the 2000s, Britain chose silence over the plight of the detainees at Guantánamo Bay. For decades, Britain – along with other governments – continued to choose inaction in Palestine. Each time, British officials claimed responsibility rested elsewhere. Each time, history recorded the truth.
The Suffragettes, despite being force-fed and labelled as terrorists, are today celebrated as heroes and freedom fighters. The Long Kesh prisoners, despite the smears they faced, are now seen as a vital part of the peace achieved under the Good Friday Agreement. The Guantánamo Bay prisoners, despite their inhumane treatment and public consent for torture, remained untried and were largely released without conviction.
Just as they were all vindicated, history will too vindicate the Palestine Action prisoners who sought to stop the slaughter of innocent people, against the wishes and interests of the British government.
We are not merely observers, but witnesses to the injustice currently being dispensed by the hands of the state against people who history will no doubt vindicate, as it has done those hunger strikers who have gone before.
