From the Liveblog of
Saturday, January 10, 2026
Khamenei said to put IRGC on highest state of alert as protests enter 14th day
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Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has put Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on a higher state of alert than it was during its war with Israel last year, officials from the Islamic Republic tell The Telegraph as the country enters its 14th day of widespread protests.
“The leader has ordered the Sepah [IRGC] to remain on the highest level of readiness – even higher than during the June war,” a senior Iranian official tells The Telegraph.
“He is in closer contact with the IRGC than with the army or the police, because he believes the risk of IRGC defections is almost non-existent, whereas others have defected before. He has placed his fate in the hands of the IRGC.”
Iranian officials say underground “missile cities” have also been activated to deal with foreign threats.
One official dismissed a report earlier in the week that Khamenei has plans to flee to Moscow if an uprising threatens the regime. “He will not leave Tehran even if B-52s are flying overhead.”
The Times of Israel Community.