Iran is burning due to rising prices. Protests in over 100 cities and the death toll is rising
2026-01-04 15:56, updated 2026-01-04 18:45
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2026-01-04 15:56
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2026-01-04 18:45
At least 16 people have been killed in the week-long protests in various cities of Iran, human rights organizations reported on Sunday. Demonstrations against rising inflation led to many brutal clashes between participants and security forces.
Reuters, which reported this information, emphasized that it was unable to verify the number of victims. Previously, both state media and humanitarian organizations reported deaths and arrests, but the figures varied.
According to the Kurdish human rights organization Hengaw, quoted by Reuters, at least 17 people have been killed since the beginning of the protests. Other organizations say at least 16 people were killed and nearly 600 arrested.
Iranian police chief Ahmad Reza Radan informed state media that in the last two days alone, security forces have arrested many protest leaders, including – as he emphasized – “leaders in the virtual space”; among others administrators of internet channels where calls for protests were made.
Additionally on Friday, US President Donald Trump said his country would support protesters if necessary. High-ranking representatives of the Iranian authorities reacted to these words, including the country's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who on Saturday emphasized that Iran “will not yield to the enemy.”
Protests in Iran broke out on Sunday, December 28, and their direct cause was economic difficulties. They were initiated by shop owners who were painfully affected by the collapse of the Iranian rial. At the beginning of the week, President Massoud Pezeszkian announced a dialogue with the protest leaders and admitted that the crisis was caused by the authorities' negligence.
Demonstrations were reported in over 100 towns in 22 of Iran's 31 provinces. Their size is estimated to be the largest demonstrations since 2022, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was held in custody for improperly wearing a hijab. According to estimates by human rights organizations, over 500 people died during the brutally suppressed protests.
Netanyahu: Israel supports protesting Iranians
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel supports the Iranians who, as he put it, can “take their fate into their own hands.” These words were spoken in the context of intensifying anti-government demonstrations in Iran and a few months after a direct armed clash between the two countries.
During Sunday's government meeting in Jerusalem, Netanyahu referred to the wave of social unrest that has gripped Iran since December 28, declaring Israel's support for the Iranians' struggle and their pursuit of freedom and justice.
Netanyahu also said that during Monday's meeting with Trump in Florida, both leaders confirmed their common, tough stance against Iran's nuclear program. Israel and the US demand a halt to uranium enrichment and the removal of 400 kilograms of already enriched material from Iran.
Netanyahu stressed the need to place Iran's nuclear facilities under strict supervision. According to Western sources, Tehran has stockpiled uranium enriched to levels exceeding civilian needs, raising concerns that it is attempting to build a nuclear weapon, despite Iran's denials.
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