People protesting against Iran’s deteriorating economic situation took to the streets in several provinces of the country on Sunday, with some demonstrations resulting in deadly clashes with police.
At least two people were killed when dozens of protesters clashed with police on Thursday morning in Loudegan province in southwestern Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province, the state-run Fars news agency said. It remains unclear whether the casualties were among law enforcement officials or protesters.
Fars news agency reported that some protesters were armed and fired at police, although it provided no evidence to support the claim. Unverified videos circulating on social media showed protesters throwing stones at uniformed police officers in the state. Fars claimed that protesters threw stones at the governor’s office, banks and other government buildings.
Protests turned violent in the city of Qudasht in Lorestan province on Wednesday night, leaving one member of the Iranian militia Basij dead and 13 others injured, state media said, the first confirmed death since protests erupted this week. Fars news agency aired footage of a police member being treated after being set on fire by demonstrators.
Paramilitary Basij militias are often deployed by the regime to quell protests.
The prosecutor in Kudasht announced on Thursday that 20 people had been arrested during the protests, state news agency Tasnim reported.
This week, shopkeepers, bazaar traders, students and others took to the streets in several Iranian cities chanting anti-regime slogans, citing the economic situation as the currency hit record lows.
The protests were the largest since nationwide riots in 2022, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Martha Amini in police custody after she was arrested on suspicion of wearing a headscarf inappropriately.
In a post on Wednesday, the US State Department said it was concerned about reports that protesters were facing “intimidation, violence, and arrest” and called on authorities to end the crackdown.
“First the bazaar. Then the students. Now the whole country. Iranians are united. We have different lives, but we have one demand: that our voices and rights be respected,” the State Department said in a post on X’s Farsi-language account.
The protests mark the latest chapter in Iran’s growing discontent, as the population has quietly regained public and personal freedoms through acts of disorderly defiance, albeit limited so far.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
