According to a report by Reuters on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, over 50 mosques and 180 ambulances were reportedly set on fire during days of unrest in Iran, according to information provided to Russian news agency TASS by Iran’s embassy in Moscow. The embassy described the scale of destruction as unprecedented, both within Iran and across the Muslim world.

In Tehran alone, the materials reported, 26 banks and 25 mosques were attacked and set ablaze. Across the country, a total of 53 mosques were targeted, marking a level of violence against religious sites that Iranian officials say is historically unparalleled. The embassy materials also highlighted attacks on emergency services, with 180 ambulances reportedly destroyed over three days of intense unrest.

The embassy further claimed that many of the wounded were deliberately killed. According to the report, in one incident, individuals attempting to transport injured protesters to a hospital were offered help by a group of so-called “volunteers,” only for all 11 wounded people to later be found dead, with gunshot wounds to the head. These accounts point to a level of violence that the embassy characterized as systematic and highly coordinated.

The protests in Iran began on December 29, initially triggered by a sharp decline in the value of the national currency, the rial. What started as demonstrations over economic grievances quickly spread to most major cities, prompting a significant response from authorities. Iranian officials reported that 40 law enforcement officers were killed during the unrest.

According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, armed individuals appeared among the demonstrators on January 8, escalating the violence further. Iranian authorities have attributed the unrest to external interference, specifically blaming Israel and the United States for organizing and supporting the protests.

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