Nationwide anti-government protests have erupted across Iran amid a severe economic crisis, driven by soaring inflation above 40% and the Iranian rial’s plunge to record lows, which has increased the cost of living and essential goods. Demonstrations that began late December 2025 with shop closures in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar have spread to cities in most provinces, drawing students and workers who also voice broader political discontent. Human rights groups also reported multiple deaths and over 2,000 arrests as security forces crack down, while the government struggles to stabilise the economy and faces growing public anger (here, here, and here).
In this context, a video is being shared on social media (here, here) claiming that it shows a large pro-government rally in Iran, with thousands of people participating. The rally is said to have been organised to express support for the government amid growing public dissatisfaction and unrest in the country. The organisers reportedly described it as a message of national unity and political stability. Let’s verify the claim made in the post in this article.
Claim: The video shows a large pro-government rally in Iran.
Fact: The video does not show a recent pro-government rally in Iran. The visuals are from January 2020 and depict the funeral procession of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Ahvaz, following his killing in a US airstrike in Baghdad on 03 January 2020. While pro-government rallies were reported in Tehran in late December 2025, the viral video is unrelated to those events. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
A reverse image search of key frames from the viral video led us to an X post dated 05 January 2020, confirming that the clip is unrelated to the ongoing economic crisis in Iran. The post states that the video is from events linked to the funeral procession of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, not recent protests or inflation-related unrest.
Taking clues from the X post, we searched on Google using relevant keywords and found multiple media reports (here, here, here) from January 2020 featuring the same visuals. These reports state that the visuals show the funeral of General Qassem Soleimani, held in the Iranian city of Ahvaz.
General Qassem Soleimani, a senior commander of Iran’s Quds Force, was killed in a US airstrike near Baghdad International Airport on 03 January 2020. The US government accused him of orchestrating attacks on American military bases in Iraq, and had designated the Quds Force as a terrorist organisation in 2007.
Factly had previously debunked the same video when it went viral with a claim that it showed agitation in Mangaluru over the NRC, CAA, and NPR in January 2020.
It is worth noting that there were reports of pro-government supporters holding rallies in Tehran in late December 2025. However, the viral video in question is unrelated to these events.
To sum up, a 2020 funeral video of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani is being shared as showing a 2025–26 pro-government rally in Iran.
