Khamenei brings foreign militias as forces refuse firing
Amid widespread anti-Khamenei protests across Iran, reports suggest the regime has turned to foreign fighters to quell growing public anger. According to experts and regional sources, around 800 to 850 Arabic-speaking Shia militiamen from Iraq have allegedly entered Iran under the guise of religious pilgrims. The move comes as elements within Iran’s own security forces, including the IRGC and Basij, are reportedly showing hesitation or outright refusal to fire on fellow citizens.
Observers say this reluctance has deeply worried the leadership, prompting the use of outside militias with fewer social and emotional ties to Iranian protesters. Disturbingly, the reported arrival of these fighters has coincided with a sharp rise in the number of protesters killed, intensifying fear and outrage on the streets. For many Iranians, the development reinforces a painful sense of betrayal by a regime willing to use foreign force against its own people.
On what should have been an ordinary evening shift at the Iran–Iraq border, Iraqi official Ali D sensed that something was deeply wrong. A bus rolled up to the checkpoint, and he was told it was carrying Shia pilgrims heading into Iran. On paper, it sounded routine. In reality, it was anything but. The passengers did not look like pilgrims. There were no families clutching prayer bags, no elderly travellers moving slowly toward the border, no women or children. Instead, there were only young men — all dressed in identical black T-shirts, silent and watchful.
Ali D later recalled to the American news outlet The Media Line that this was not an isolated incident. One bus became two, then many more. By January 11, he said, nearly 60 such 50-seater buses had crossed the border, all carrying similar groups of young men under the label of “pilgrims.” What he witnessed that week, observers say, was a glimpse into a much larger and far more troubling operation unfolding behind the scenes.
As mass protests spread across Iran, reports increasingly suggest that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime has turned to foreign Shia militias from Iraq to suppress the uprising. Analysts argue this is a desperate move, triggered by an unprecedented crisis of loyalty within Iran’s own security apparatus. With demonstrations growing in size, anger and scope, the clerical leadership appears to be activating its long-cultivated “Axis of Resistance” — not against foreign enemies, but against its own people.
The protests first erupted in the last week of December, sparked by soaring prices, inflation and economic hardship that have crushed ordinary Iranians. What began as economic unrest quickly transformed into something far more dangerous for the regime: a nationwide, openly anti-Khamenei movement. Chants of “Mullahs must go” and direct calls for regime change have echoed across streets, markets and university campuses. According to monitoring groups, protests have taken place in at least 614 locations across all 31 provinces of Iran.
Faced with this scale of dissent, the regime has responded with overwhelming force. The human cost has been staggering. More than 20,000 people have reportedly been arrested, and thousands killed. The death toll rose sharply over just a few days — from around 500 earlier in the week, to nearly 600 on Monday, crossing 2,200 by Tuesday, and reaching approximately 2,600 by Wednesday. London-based outlet Iran International has placed the figure far higher, estimating up to 12,000 deaths. Even if that number is treated with caution, the sudden spike in fatalities is undeniable.
Crucially, this surge in killings coincides with growing reports of Arabic-speaking Shia militias entering Iran from neighbouring Iraq. Their arrival aligns closely with the escalation in street violence, raising troubling questions about who is now enforcing the crackdown. This comes at a moment when Iran’s own paramilitary forces — including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij — are still reeling from heavy losses suffered during the 12-day war in June and the broader regional conflict linked to the Gaza war that erupted on October 7, 2023.
Human rights organisations say there are signs of cracks within the regime’s security ranks. The Kurdish rights group Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights has reported that some Iranian forces recently refused orders to fire on protesters. According to Hengaw, those who disobeyed were arrested, reinforcing claims that loyalty within the ranks is fraying as violence against civilians intensifies.
Iranian opposition figures echo this assessment. Mehdi Reza, speaking to The Media Line, said Iraqi militias have been deployed not only on the streets but also to guard sensitive military and government installations. “This has been confirmed by protesters inside Iran,” he said, suggesting the foreign fighters are being used to compensate for wavering domestic forces.
Adding to these concerns, Iranian journalist Nejat Bahrami — who was arrested by the Khamenei regime in 2020 for “spreading propaganda against the system” — released a video on X urging people not to remain silent spectators. In footage posted on January 12, a large gathering of men waving Hezbollah and old Syrian flags can be seen chanting slogans, led by a figure wearing a keffiyeh. Bahrami claimed the group consisted of “terrorists of Hezbollah and Hashd al-Shaabi” openly declaring their readiness to enter Iran and help suppress the protests.
Taken together, the pieces form a grim picture: a nationwide protest movement turning openly anti-Khamenei, a regime responding with escalating brutality, visible hesitation among Iranian forces to shoot fellow citizens, the quiet influx of hundreds of Arabic-speaking Shia fighters, and a sudden, deadly spike in killings. Side by side, these developments appear closely connected.
Reports indicate that members of militias such as Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, Badr Organisation, the Popular Mobilization Forces, and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada have crossed into Iran. If true, it suggests Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has activated the very network he spent decades nurturing to project power across the region. Now, that same “Axis of Resistance” is reportedly being turned inward — deployed not against foreign adversaries, but against Iranians demanding dignity, accountability and change.
For many protesters, this has deepened the sense of betrayal. The regime that claims to speak in their name is now, they believe, using foreign militias to silence them. As the death toll rises and fear grips the streets, one message rings clear from the protests: the struggle is no longer just about economics. It has become a battle over the future of Iran itself.