Protests escalated across Iran on Monday as demonstrators confronted security forces in Tehran and Mashhad, with authorities deploying tear gas amid strikes and street clashes, reports showed.
An Iranian opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, reported that a large crowd of protesters marched along Jomhouri (Republic) Street before moving to nearby areas including Naser Khosrow Street and Istanbul Square in Tehran.
Central parts of Tehran turned into flashpoints as protesters and regime security forces engaged in street battles near major government and commercial areas.
Police units fired tear gas and used batons to disperse crowds in the city center, according to reports from the scene.
IRAN is reportedly developing chemical, biological warheads as protests spread across its collapsing economy
Protesters march in central Tehran, Iran, Monday, December 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP)
Protesters responded with chants of “Shameless! Shameless!” and pushed back, forcing security forces to withdraw from several areas.
Nationwide strikes and protests by merchants continued across Iran, with shops closed in key commercial centers including Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, Lalehzar Street, Naser Khosrow and Istanbul Square. Protesters chanted anti-government slogans calling for the downfall of the ruling clerics and demanding that the leaders step aside.
Video circulating online showed protesters at a large shopping complex in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar chanting, “Don’t be afraid, we are all together,” while insulting security forces and calling them shameless.
IRAN’s killing spree continues as regime sets new record for executions by 2025, dissident group says
Protesters march in central Tehran, Iran, Monday, December 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP)
Additional footage from Tehran’s bazaar districts showed crowds chanting “Death to the dictator,” calling on merchants to close their shops and demanding President Masoud Pezeshkian to step aside, while voices in the video said businesses had closed in protest.
Other video clips captured demonstrations in various parts of Tehran, including footage of protesters attacking and damaging the car of a cleric linked to the regime.
In another video, a reporter from Iran International narrated scenes from the protests with subtitles, describing clashes between demonstrators and security forces as unrest spread through the capital.
IRAN’S ‘WATER BANKRUPTCY’ WILL WEAKEN THE REGIME AND NUCLEAR PROGRAM, UN EXPERT WARNS
An anti-Israel banner is displayed in Palestine Square amid rising tensions in Tehran, Iran on December 24, 2025. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
By Monday afternoon, the unrest had spread to the northeastern city of Mashhad, where demonstrators gathered in central squares and clashed with riot police who moved in with batons. Protesters retreated as clashes escalated.
In another report, the IRGC-run Fars News Agency wrote: “Eyewitnesses reported to Fars that among the crowd of about 200 people there were small cells of five to 10 people chanting slogans that went beyond economic demands.”
“At the same time as these rallies, Maryam Rajavi called for the ‘formation of a chain of protests,’” the report continued. “An informed source at the Intelligence Ministry said the pattern was consistent with what it described as an attempt to turn economic grievances into political instability.”
IRAN REGIME ESCALATES REPRESSION TOWARD ‘NORTH KOREA STYLE MODEL OF ISOLATION AND CONTROL’
Iran International also reported on the protests, saying Pezeshkian said on Monday he has instructed his interior minister to open talks with representatives of the protesters, marking his first official response to the unrest.
The protests, which continued into the night, received international attention, with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett calling on protesters to revolt in a video posted on X.
“The Iranian people have a glorious past and can have an even more glorious future,” Bennett said. “That future depends on each of you.”
IRAN STRENGTHENS ITS INTERNAL SECURITY LAW AFTER US, ISRAEL STATE
Also speaking were former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said it is no surprise that Iranians are taking to the streets amid a collapsing economy that he blames on the regime’s extremism and corruption.
“It is no surprise that the Iranian people are taking to the streets to protest the collapsing economy,” Pompeo said. “The Iranian regime has ruined a vibrant and prosperous country with its extremism and corruption.
“The Iranian people deserve a representative government that serves their interests – not those of the mullahs and their cronies,” he added.
WHAT IS THE NEXT STATE FOR THE IRANIAN TERRIER GOVERNMENT, THE IRGC, AFTER INNOVATIVE MILITARY SETTLERS?
The NCRI claimed earlier in the day that security forces linked to the IRGC had been put on heightened alert in Tehran, with additional units on standby in nearby provinces. The claims could not be independently verified.
In a statement, NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi said the protests reflected public anger over high prices, inflation and political repression, and called on Iranians to support the striking merchants.
The Iranian rial has fallen to a new low against the US dollar. Official data show that year-on-year inflation reached 52.6% in December, while the average annual inflation rate was 42.2%.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Videos circulating online show chants against government officials and growing frustration among traders, a group traditionally seen as a key pillar of support for the regime.
