Protesters topple General Soleimani's Statue in Iran
Friday, January 9, 2026
Protests against Iran’s regime entered their 12th consecutive day, marked by violent clashes with security forces and a symbolic attack on a statue of former Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani.
Protesters in Fars Province toppled a statue of Soleimani, smashing it with hammers and setting it on fire, according to reports and footage from inside Iran, in an increasingly confrontational tone of demonstrations that have spread to new provinces.
Former foreign operations commander of the Revolutionary Guards Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US strike in January 2020 and is hailed as a national hero by the Islamic republic.