Deadly clashes between protesters and security forces have intensified across Iran as nationwide demonstrations over soaring living costs enter a fifth day, with multiple fatalities reported in several western and southern cities.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency and Kurdish human rights group Hengaw reported that at least two people were killed during confrontations in the city of Lordegan, in the country’s south-west. Fars also said three people died in Azna and another in Kouhdasht, all located in western Iran, though it did not clarify whether the victims were protesters or security personnel.
Hengaw identified the two people killed in Lordegan as protesters, naming them as Ahmad Jalil and Sajjad Valamanesh. The deaths have not been independently verified.
Videos circulating on social media on Thursday showed vehicles set ablaze and running battles between demonstrators and security forces, as chants against Iran’s clerical leadership echoed through several cities. Some protesters have called for an end to the rule of the supreme leader, while others voiced support for restoring the monarchy.
Verified footage obtained showed protests taking place in Tehran, Lordegan and Marvdasht in southern Fars province. As unrest spread, reports emerged of clashes involving Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the Basij militia, with state media claiming one security force member was killed in Kouhdasht on Wednesday night. Protesters, however, said the victim was a demonstrator shot by security forces.
State media also reported that at least 13 police officers and Basij members were injured by stone-throwing during clashes in the area.
Authorities ordered the closure of schools, universities and public institutions nationwide on Wednesday, officially citing energy conservation due to cold weather. Many Iranians, however, viewed the move as an attempt to curb the protests.
The demonstrations began in Tehran among shopkeepers angered by a sharp fall in the value of the national currency against the US dollar. They later spread to universities and other cities, evolving into broader protests against Iran’s political leadership.
The unrest marks the most widespread protests since the 2022 demonstrations sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, though on a smaller scale. Security has since been tightened in key areas of Tehran where the protests first erupted.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has said his administration is prepared to listen to the “legitimate demands” of protesters, while Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad warned that any attempt to destabilise the country would face a “decisive response.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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