Document Leak Reveals Iran’s Strategy to Suppress Protests
Recently leaked documents from the Iranian government outline a comprehensive plan, approved by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, aimed at violently quelling protests across Iran. This strategy involves the use of force, extensive surveillance, and internet shutdowns.
According to excerpts reviewed by Fox News Digital, the Supreme National Security Council in Iran developed this approach in response to widespread protests in 2019, which erupted due to skyrocketing fuel prices and a dire economic situation.
During a press conference held by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of its Washington office, indicated that these documents were secured from within the Iranian regime, crediting the People’s Mojahedin Organization (MEK) for their access.
Jafarzadeh stated, “This directive by the National Security Council came from the MEK’s network inside Iran, which has connections to intelligence sources within the regime.”
He further stressed that these documents reveal the regime’s determination to thwart future uprisings and employ lethal force as necessary to maintain authority.
The first document, classified as “top secret,” was issued on March 3, 2021. It outlined four escalating levels of law enforcement and security situations, specifying how to manage unrest and which authorities would take charge at each level.
Initially, the Iranian National Police were given command authority during non-armed security phases, with support from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Ministry of Intelligence (VAJA). In dire situations, authority swiftly shifted to the Revolutionary Guards.
Khamenei even instructed that this framework should be communicated for two years, emphasizing the need for a nationwide implementation.
These secret directives served as a preamble for handling protests that erupted in January 2026, triggered by frustration over soaring inflation, a plummeting currency, and clerical governance.
According to the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA), at least 6,854 individuals have lost their lives in these protests, with investigations into 11,280 additional cases ongoing.
Further assessment from internal regime documents outlined the evolution of the January 2026 protests, categorizing them into three distinct phases: law enforcement, non-armed security, and armed security. The latter phase saw the Revolutionary Guards fully assuming command and executing armed actions against protestors.
The documents also mandated the Ministry of Communications to implement internet restrictions, which could include complete shutdowns, during armed security situations.
A subsequent document, compiled in 2024 by the Revolutionary Guards’ Salalah headquarters, illustrates the regime’s preparedness for opposition. This 129-page “Tehran Comprehensive Security Plan” outlines extensive surveillance measures targeting MEK members and families of executed dissidents as primary enemies.
Jafarzadeh noted that the regime’s willingness to resort to killings mirrors past events, but such actions have only galvanized the public’s resolve to seek regime change. He remarked, “More people, especially youth, are now uniting to confront the Revolutionary Guards and strive for liberation.”
