VIDEO Unrest in Iran is gaining momentum. Several people were killed in the protests that spread across the country
Protests in Tehran, Iran. Photo credit: Fars News Agency / AP / Profimedia
Several people were killed in the night from Wednesday to Thursday during the unrest in Iran, where the largest protests in the last three years, generated by the galloping inflation, triggered violence in several regions, reports News.ro.
- The movement began on Sunday in the capital Tehran, where traders closed their shops to protest hyperinflation, currency depreciation and economic stagnation, before spreading to universities and the rest of the country. On Thursday, clashes were reported in medium-sized cities with tens of thousands of inhabitants.
Iran's semi-official Fars news agency and the human rights group Hengaw reported the deaths in Lordegan, a city in western Iran.
Authorities confirmed one death in the western city of Kuhdasht, and the Hengaw organization reported another death in the central province of Isfahan.
Clashes between protesters and security services mark a significant escalation in unrest that has spread since traders began protesting on Sunday against the government's handling of the currency's depreciation and rapidly rising prices.
VIDEO The Iranian currency collapsed, spontaneous protests broke out in Tehran and other major cities. Those who played a crucial role in the Islamic Revolution also took to the streets
Fars reported that two people were killed in Lordegan in clashes between security services and what it called armed protesters. Earlier, the agency had stated that several people had died. Hengaw said for his part that several people were killed and injured there by the security forces.
The Revolutionary Guards said a member of its affiliated Basij volunteer paramilitary unit was killed in Kuhdasht and 13 others were wounded, accusing demonstrators of taking advantage of the protests. However, Hengaw stated that the man, identified by the Revolutionary Guard as Amirhossam Khodayari Fard, was actually protesting and was killed by security forces.
Hengaw also reported that a protester was shot dead in central Iran's Isfahan province on Wednesday.
Protests also took place on Thursday in Marvdasht, in Fars province in the south of the country, according to the activist news site HRANA.
According to Hengaw, demonstrators were detained on Wednesday in the western provinces of Kermanshah, Khuzestan and Hamedan.
Affrontements entre citoyens et forces répressives à Marvdasht le 1er janvier 2026. Les tensions continuent. #IranObservatory #Iran #Iranprotests pic.twitter.com/VQwfdxln5G
— Observatoire de l'Iran (@ObservatoireIR) January 1, 2026
A Lordgan les confrontations continuent entre demonstrators et forces répressives. The incidents took place on the morning of January 1, 2026. #IranObservatory #Iran #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/cQG8d5Nc7o
— Observatoire de l'Iran (@ObservatoireIR) January 1, 2026
Critical moment for clerical leadership
The unrest comes at a critical time for Iran's clerical leadership, as Western sanctions hit an economy hit by 40% inflation and after Israel and the US launched airstrikes against the country's nuclear infrastructure and military leadership in June.
Tehran responded to the protests with an offer of dialogue, an apparently conciliatory gesture alongside its security response.
The spokesperson of the government, Fatemeh Mohajerani, said on Thursday that the authorities will have a direct dialogue with the representatives of the trade unions and traders, without giving details.
The Basij is a voluntary paramilitary force loyal to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which on Thursday accused those involved in the unrest in Kuhdasht of “taking advantage of the atmosphere of popular protests.”
“The time has come.” The message sent by Mossad in Farsi to the protesters in Iran
Traders, shop owners and students from several Iranian universities have been protesting for four days and have closed the big bazaars. The government shut down much of the country on Wednesday, declaring a public holiday due to the cold weather.
In recent years, authorities have cracked down on protests over issues such as high prices, drought, women's rights and political freedoms, often with heavy-handed security measures and mass arrests.
Iran's economy has been facing difficulties for years as a result of the sanctions imposed by the US and the West on Tehran's nuclear program. Regional tensions led to a 12-day air war with Israel in June, putting further pressure on the country's finances.
The Iranian rial has lost about half its value against the dollar in 2025, with inflation reaching 42.5% in December.
However, the demonstrations of these days are not comparable, at this stage, with the movement that shook Iran at the end of 2022, after the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman arrested for an allegedly improperly worn veil.
