Anti-Government Protests Erupt Across Iran Amid Rising Prices

At least seven people have reportedly been killed as clashes erupted between protesters and security forces in several Iranian cities over the country’s worsening economy and rising cost of living.

The demonstrations, which began on December 27 in Tehran, have now spread to rural provinces, marking the biggest unrest in Iran since the nationwide protests following Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022.

Authorities in Tehran have also arrested 30 people accused of disturbing public order during strikes and protests over high prices. Eyewitnesses and videos from various cities show demonstrators shouting slogans such as, “Until the mullah is shrouded, this homeland will not be free” and “Mullahs must leave Iran.”

The dead include two people on Wednesday and five on Thursday, mostly in cities home to Iran’s Lur ethnic group. The western city of Kouhdasht saw the death of a 21-year-old Basij member, a volunteer paramilitary force linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, reportedly killed while trying to control the protests. In Fuladshahr in Isfahan province, a man was killed when police reportedly opened fire on demonstrators.

The protests have targeted government buildings, banks, and mosques, with tear gas used by authorities to disperse crowds. Security forces arrested several protest “ringleaders” as buildings were damaged in some areas.

Iran’s civilian government, led by reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, acknowledged the protesters’ “legitimate demands” and urged steps to address the economic crisis. Inflation in December reached 52% year-on-year, and the Iranian rial has rapidly lost value, with $1 now costing about 1.4 million rials.

Despite economic concessions, the Supreme Leader’s regime has vowed to take a firm stance against those attempting to exploit the situation to create chaos.

The unrest highlights mounting frustration among ordinary Iranians over spiralling prices, stagnant wages, and the wider economic challenges facing the country.

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