Protests in Iran entered a fifth straight day on Thursday, with demonstrations and clashes in Tehran and several provincial cities, while authorities, state media and rights groups cited additional deaths overnight.
According to Reuters, several people have been killed since the escalation of the unrest, based on reports from Iranian media and human rights groups. Iranian authorities have confirmed at least one death, while other fatalities have been reported in several provinces.
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Protesters push back security forces in Tehran on December 30, 2025. (NCRI)
The protests began on Sunday after shopkeepers and merchants demonstrated against rising inflation, unemployment and the sharp depreciation of Iran’s currency. The unrest quickly spread beyond the bazaars and included students and broader public demonstrations in cities across the country.
In Lordegan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, fighting intensified overnight. Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, reported that crowds threw stones at government buildings, including the governor’s office, the judiciary, the Martyrs Foundation, the Friday prayer complex and several banks. Police used tear gas to disperse protesters and several buildings were severely damaged. Fars said two people were killed during the clashes, without specifying whether they were protesters or security personnel.
The Kurdish rights group Hengaw reported that protesters in Lordegan were killed by security forces. In Kuhdasht, authorities said a member of Basij’s volunteer paramilitary force was killed and 13 others were injured in clashes blamed on protesters. Hengaw disputed that account, telling Reuters the individual was a protester killed by security forces. Reuters said it could not confirm either version.
Protests in Iran are forcing a nationwide shutdown as President Masoud Pezeshkian closes businesses and offices in 21 provinces amid rising public anger. (MEK/People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran)
Separately, Iran International reported the man was a 37-year-old man was shot in Fooladshahr, Isfahan province, during nightly protests. Iran International said it had verified the man’s identity and reviewed video footage, while provincial police confirmed the death of a 37-year-old citizen without providing further details.
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Six women detained during protests in Tehran have been transferred to the women’s section of Evin prison, US-based rights group Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.
President Donald Trump and other administration officials expressed support for the protesters this week. During his speech on Monday, Trump pointed to Iran’s economic collapse and long-standing public discontent, while not explicitly calling for regime change.
Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, issued a statement on the ongoing protests, noting: “The four-day uprising of merchants, students and other sectors of society is a sign of the determination of the Iranian people to be free from religious tyranny. This wretched regime is doomed to be overthrown by the revolted people and the rebellious youth. The last word is being spoken on the streets by the people and the rebellious youth, who have nothing left to do. This regime must disappear.”
The latest major protests in Iran followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by vice police in Tehran on October 1, 2022. (AP photo/Middle East images, file)
The unrest comes as Iran’s economy remains under severe pressure due to years of international sanctions, high inflation and currency depreciation. Authorities declared a nationwide shutdown on Wednesday, officially citing extremely cold weather, and said the government had offered to hold talks with representatives of merchants and unions over what it described as “legitimate demands.”
Another influential dissident leader, exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the late Shah of Iran, took to X and called on the international community “to stand with the people of Iran.” He continued in part: “The current regime has reached the end of the road. It is at its most vulnerable: weak, deeply divided and unable to quell the courage of a rising nation. The growing protests show that this year will be the definitive moment for change.”
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Iran has faced repeated waves of unrest over the past decade. While the 2022 nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini focused on women’s rights and state repression, the current demonstrations are mainly rooted in economic grievances, with demonstrators in several cities now openly directing their anger at Iran’s political leadership.
Reuters contributed to this report.
