Protests over worsening economic conditions in Iran continue to spread and have started to claim casualties. Although the protests have taken a new trajectory, their fate remains ultimately and firmly in the hands of the regime.
On the ground, several protesters have been killed in different areas, according to Iranian media and human rights organizations.
The semi-official Fars news agency reported that two people were killed in Lordegan during clashes between security forces and what it described as “armed demonstrators.” The human rights organization Hengaw reported that security forces killed and injured several individuals there.
The Revolutionary Guard announced today that a member of its Basij volunteer unit was killed in Kahdasht and 13 others were injured, blaming protesters for exploiting the demonstrations. However, Hengaw stated that the man, identified by the Revolutionary Guard as Amir Hesam Khodayari Fard, was participating in the protests and was killed by security forces.
Reports from journalists and human rights groups also spoke of protesters being detained in multiple provinces, including Kermanshah, Khuzestan, and Hamedan in western Iran.
Today, the protests reached Marvdasht in Fars Province in the south. This significant “geographical expansion” of the demonstrations was augmented by university students joining the protest movement, which observers say could open the door to a revision of the protesters’ demands beyond purely economic issues.
In response, Iranian President Masoud Pezhikian called for listening to the demands of the demonstrators.
Pezhikian wrote on X that he had instructed Interior Minister Eskandar Mo’mini to hear the legitimate demands of the protesters “through dialogue with their representatives, so that the government can act responsibly and with all the strength at its disposal to address the problems and respond to them.”
Meanwhile, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Thursday that authorities had conducted direct talks with representatives of unions and merchants, without providing further details.
Prior to these statements, the government announced on Wednesday a public holiday across most of the country, citing cold weather.
Observers note that the “calm tone” used by the Iranian government may fail to convince many protesters and opponents abroad for two reasons. First is the distinction between the executive branch and the regime, as the latter will ultimately determine how the protests are dealt with if they continue. Second is the large deployment of police officers in the streets, as reported by activists.
The significant police presence and the deaths of protesters recall the “legacy of the regime” in handling demonstrations in Iran over the past years, particularly the widespread protests in 2022 and 2023 following the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody. Protesters at that time were suppressed, large-scale arrests were carried out, strict internet and social media controls were imposed, and judicial prosecutions followed.
The ongoing protests began last Sunday when shop owners in Tehran’s bazaar took to the streets after closing their shops to protest deteriorating economic conditions, including rising prices and a sharp decline in the Iranian rial’s value against the dollar.
Inflation reached 42.5 percent in December, while the Iranian rial lost roughly half its value against the dollar in 2025.
The Iranian economy has suffered for years due to Tehran’s involvement in regional conflicts and support for militias in several Arab countries, according to regime opponents. It has also been weakened by Western sanctions imposed over its nuclear program.
Iran also engaged in a 12-day direct confrontation with Israel, during which U.S. airstrikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
