Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani on Tuesday endorsed a defense pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, calling for unity among Muslim countries in the face of what he described as common regional threats.
"The signing of a strategic agreement between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a matter that pleases us," Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, wrote on X.
"The Islamic world is in need of this brotherhood. And we no longer need speeches to resolve the region's issues, but rather action and cooperation," he added following a meeting with Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsen Naqvi in Tehran.
Larijani also praised Pakistan’s stance during a 12-day war in June between Iran and Israel, saying it “reflects a shared understanding of the region’s strategic realities.”
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a strategic defense agreement in September, pledging mutual protection in the event of external aggression.
Nuclear armed-Pakistan has one of the world's largest armies but lacks fellow Sunni state Muslim state Saudi Arabia's vast energy wealth.
Both countries have long been suspicious of the Shi'ite Muslim theocracy in Tehran, which they view as a competitor for regional influence.
Iran’s endorsement of the agreement signals a rare moment of apparent convergence amid deepening geopolitical faults in the Middle East.
Pakistan shares a 560-mile border with Iran, where both countries face persistent threats from armed groups operating in the frontier region, including cross-border militancy.
In January 2024, Iran and Pakistan exchanged missile and drone strikes targeting militant groups in one of the most serious military escalations between them in decades.
Despite the exchange, both sides moved quickly to de-escalate, activating diplomatic channels and emphasizing that the attacks aimed at non-state actors not each other’s governments.
Demonstrations were reported in cities including Zanjan, Tabriz, Tehran, Esfahan, Gilan and Fars, with participants chanting slogans that reflected both economic hardship and political frustration, lapse in their pay and benefits.
In Zanjan and Tabriz, retirees gathered outside government buildings, chanting: “People's rights must be settled,” and “Yesterday's warriors are today's claimants. Yesterday's fighters are today's rights-seekers.”
The term “warriors” refers to veterans of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, many of whom now face financial insecurity.
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry issued a confidential warning in August, anticipating serious fallout from the potential return of UN sanctions under the snapback mechanism.
In Tehran and Esfahan, protesters voiced anger at financial mismanagement, shouting: “The major shareholder devoured our rights,” and “Don't delay—settle our dues today.”
Some chants directly challenged official narratives, with demonstrators declaring: “Our enemy is right here; they lie that it's America.”
In Gilan and Fars provinces, retirees accused both parliament and the government of deceiving the public. “Parliament and government both lie to the nation,” one group chanted, while another called out: “Cry out against this endless injustice!”
Price hike on rise
The protests come amid a sharp rise in consumer prices following the reactivation of UN sanctions by European powers last month. Basic goods have become increasingly unaffordable for many Iranians, particularly those on fixed incomes.
A grocer in Tehran shared a video showing his dwindling stock of rice, lamenting the price rise: “Top-grade Pakistani rice was 14.5 million rials ($13) before. A month later, it hit 21 million rials ($19). How can a head of a family with monthly income of 20 million rials ($18) could afford just for rice?”
Iran’s minimum monthly wage for 2025 stands at 104 million rials ($96), leaving many unable to cope with the rising cost of living.
Another woman posted a video comparing rice prices year-over-year: “This rice cost 11 million rials ($10) last year. Now it’s 33 million rials ($30). Khamenei, for 46 years you chased missiles, war, death to this and that, conquering this and that peak. Today, every calamity you inflicted is boomeranging on you.”
In another clip, a woman displayed two plastic bags of fruit—bananas, oranges, apples, and grapes—costing 20 million rials ($18). She narrated a comparison during the video. “In 1977, a Mercedes Benz coupe was 4 million rials (equal to $3 now). Now I pay this amount for fruit that vanishes in two days.”
A man driving through Tehran recorded a video responding to Interior Ministry claims that there has been no “visible shock” to the economy due to reimposition of UN sanctions.
“Want to see shock? Check the commodity basket. You're unfit to run the country. You must go. Islamic Republic corruption must end so someone honorable can govern.”
Meanwhile, an Iranian health official warned last week that about 120,000 Iranians die each year from nutrition-related causes, as rising food prices and declining consumption of staples such as dairy, meat, fruits and vegetables deepen the country’s public health crisis.
“All kinds of ceremonies, gatherings, advertising or sale of items related to what is known as ‘Halloween’ are completely prohibited in all public and business places,” Iran’s Chamber of Guilds said in a statement, citing the need to protect “cultural, religious and social values.”
It said police would take legal action against violators, including closing venues and referring managers to judicial authorities.
The move comes amid long-standing unease among Iranian authorities over the growing popularity of Western holidays such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Halloween among younger Iranians.
Officials and clerics have often described such events as cultural imports that conflict with Islamic values.
Young Iranians join global festivities
Despite the restrictions, public enthusiasm for Western-style festivities has continued to grow. In recent years, decorated shopfronts and cafes in Tehran, Isfahan and other cities have displayed Christmas trees and ornaments, while young people have gathered to mark holidays that once passed largely unnoticed.
The trend has fallen afoul with authorities. Two years ago, hundreds of Iranians gathered outside Isfahan’s historic Vank Cathedral, an ancient Armenian church, trying to attend a Christmas celebration before police dispersed the crowd.
Last December, social media videos showed people in Tehran’s shopping districts posing beside Christmas trees and taking photos with men dressed as Santa Claus, suggesting that such celebrations continue to grow despite official restrictions.
Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism are officially recognized religions in Iran, but conversion from Islam remains punishable by death, and public displays of non-Islamic observances are tightly restricted.
