Protesters took to the streets in several provinces in Iran this week, protesting mainly due to the cost of living and problems with the country’s economy. The situation worsened on Wednesday (31), when there were clashes with the police.
Shopkeepers, bazaar traders and students chanted slogans against the government during the demonstrations.
The protests are the biggest since 2022, when a wave of demonstrations was triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was in police custody after being arrested for .
The country’s economy has had sanctions reimposed in 2018, after Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the international nuclear agreement during his first term.
By 2025, the Iranian rial had lost about half its value against the dollar, with official inflation reaching 42.5% in December.
President recognizes government’s guilt
Iranian President Masou Pezeshkian acknowledged the government’s guilt at an event with authorities on Thursday (1st).
He also said not to try to blame the United States for mistakes that were allegedly made by the government.
“People are dissatisfied; it’s our fault. It’s your fault. Don’t blame the United States; don’t blame — I don’t know — someone else. It’s us who should serve, and they should be satisfied with us,” he commented.
“We are the ones who must manage our resources properly. We are the ones who must find a solution to the problem. We are the ones who must strive and find solutions to these problems,” he concluded.
Deaths in protests in Iran
The first known death linked to the protests in Iran occurred on Wednesday night (31), when a member of the Basij paramilitary force was killed and 13 others were injured in the city of Kuhdasht, in Lorestan province, according to state media.
The Fars news agency showed a video of a police officer receiving medical attention after allegedly being set on fire by protesters.
The Basij is often mobilized by the government to suppress protests.
On Thursday morning (1st), at least two people died when dozens of protesters clashed with police in the county of Lordegan, in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, in the southwest of the country, Fars reported.
It is not yet clear whether the victims were security forces agents or protesters. Unverified videos circulating on social media show protesters throwing stones at police.
Fars reported that protesters threw stones at the governor’s office, banks and other government buildings.
And, on Thursday night, after protesters invaded a police station in the city of Azna, in the province of Lorestan, in western Iran, also according to Fars.
People clashed with the police, threw stones at officers and set cars on fire, Fars highlighted.
The news agency also noted that some armed protesters took advantage of a protest in the city. Without providing evidence, Fars stated that the police confiscated firearms from some individuals.
Authorities arrest protesters in Iran
At least 20 people were arrested during the protests, the Kuhdasht prosecutor said on Thursday, according to state news agency Tasnim.
In turn, Fars reported that at least 30 people were detained in Malard county, in Tehran province, for “disturbing public order”. The agency cited Mansour Saleki, a county official, who said those detained were “abusing citizens’ legal right to protest.”
According to investigations, several of the arrested protesters came from neighboring counties, Saleki said, according to the Fars agency.
Trump warns about possible US intervention
Or President Donald Trump
“If Iran violently shoots and kills peaceful protesters, as is customary, the United States of America will come to their aid. We are ready to act,” he wrote in Truth Social this Friday (2).
Additionally, the US State Department said in a post on Wednesday that it was concerned about reports that protesters were experiencing “intimidation, violence and arrests.” The American agency asked authorities to end the repression.
“First the bazaars. Then the students. Now the entire country. Iranians are united. Different lives, one demand: respect for our voices and our rights,” the department said in a post on its Farsi Facebook account.
Iran responds to Trump
Iranian officials then issued stern warnings against US intervention in the country’s internal affairs.
Ali Larijani, Iran’s national security chief, said on X that American interference would trigger “region-wide disorganization and the destruction of American interests.”
Ali Shamkhani, a close adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has declared Iran’s national security a “red line.”
“Any attempt at intervention that comes close to Iranian security… will be cut off with a regrettable response,” Shamkhani pointed out in X.
