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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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Iran’s state media has accused the Trump administration of hypocrisy, comparing protests in the Islamic Republic with U.S. protests and demonstrations following the recent fatalities involving U.S. federal officers in Minneapolis.
Iranian media outlets are using the latest deadly shooting by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) as showing that President Donald Trump is in no position to condemn how authorities in Iran were dealing with the biggest protests in years given the unrest he faces at home.
State-backed Iranian channel Press TV referred to Trump's call to protesters in Iran in a post on X which said the demonstrations in the U.S. could be "instant karma."
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This combined image shows people in Tehran gathering during protests against Iran's government on January 6, 2026 and protesters against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 25, 2026.
Why It Matters
Protests in Iran that started on December 28 have gathered pace in the biggest challenge to Iran’s clerical rulers for years. Tehran’s violent crackdown on protests has killed over 3,000 people, with some estimates putting the death toll at much more, prompting President Donald Trump to warn of U.S. intervention.
But Trump faces his own protests in the U.S. which Iranian outlets are exploiting for propaganda. Tehran-affiliated outlets are using the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, and wider protests against ICE as showing an overreach by American law enforcement and the gap between Washington’s rhetoric on Iran’s demonstrations and U.S. conduct in practice.
What To Know
Operation Metro Surge led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was launched in December as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota and tensions have grown over the weeks. Video footage has shown clashes between police and protesters in demonstrations prompted by ICE fatally shooting Renee Good in Minneapolis on January 7.
Protests over the immigration operations continued to flare in which security personnel resorted to tear gas shells to control the crowds. Protesters had been throwing snowballs and sometimes setting off fireworks toward immigration officials, who have responded with pepper bullets and flash bangs on January 15, according to Sky News.
Meanwhile, Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act if state officials didn't "stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists" from attacking ICE officers.
On the weekend, thousands of demonstrators marched through Minneapolis opposing Trump’s immigration crackdown following the killing on Saturday of Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who worked at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital.
While these protests were largely peaceful, Iranian state news channel Press TV dedicated a segment in which it presented them as the latest iteration of the anger at the actions of ICE.
The presenter on Press TV, Roya Pour Bagher, referred to social media posts by Americans expressing outrage at the killing, and described "growing fears of an imminent civil conflict—yes a civil war in the United States."
In a separate clip, Bagher said that footage of Pretti’s killing clearly showed he did not pose a threat to anyone, adding that more protests could help stop the killings.
The outlet also shared a post of Vice President JD Vance saying in June that his administration would do everything to put anyone assaulting a federal police officer in prison.
Conservative Iranian newspaper Hamshahri also attacked Trump over what it portrays as American hypocrisy in contrasting the protests in Iran with those in Minneapolis, according to the X channel, the Middle Eastern.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign affairs spokesman called Western reports of the 30,000 death toll from the country’s latest protest as "a Hitler-style BIG LIE," in an X post which added, "isn't this the number they planned to kill in the streets of Iran?!"
What People Are Saying
Conservative Iranian newspaper Hamshahri , as per X account The Middle Eastern: "The U.S. president and senior American officials, while supporting rioters in Iran, threaten American protesters with harsh measures and suppress(ing) them."
Iran’s state TV channel Press TV: "Calls on social media demanding Trump’s removal before the US is pushed into the unknown are growing louder, as crimes by ICE against civilians continue to rise."
Iranian outlet Press TV: "Instant karma? Trump: Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING—TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!"
Iran’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei next to a screengrab of a death toll of 30,000 in Iran’s protests posted on X: "A Hitler-style BIG LIE: isn't this the number they planned to kill in the streets of Iran?! They failed, though, and now they're trying to FAKE it in the media. Truly vicious!"
He said separately: "Iran is doing everything it can diplomatically, but its armed forces will respond firmly to any violation of the country’s sovereignty."
What Happens Next
Trump is under pressure to pursue a wide-ranging, independent investigation into the killing of Pretti. When asked by The Wall Street Journal whether the actions of the federal agent who killed him had acted appropriately, replying, "we’re reviewing everything."
There will be anticipation over whether he will act against Iran’s regime if its crackdown against protesters continues. Meanwhile, a federal judge in Minnesota is set to hear arguments about whether ICE agents' presence in the state was unconstitutional, The Associated Press reported.
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