Protests marked their fifth straight day on Thursday, with demonstrations and clashes documented across Tehran and numerous provincial cities as officials, state-aligned media outlets, and human rights groups noted additional fatalities overnight.
Reuters reports that multiple individuals have lost their lives since the unrest intensified, drawing on accounts from Iranian media sources and human rights organizations. Iranian authorities have confirmed at least one death, while other fatalities have been reported in various provinces.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an opposition group, stated to [news outlet] Digital in a release that protests and street clashes persisted Thursday morning in Tehran and cities including Marvdasht, Kermanshah, Delfan, and Arak, and alleged two demonstrators were killed by direct gunfire in Lordegan. [News outlet] Digital could not independently verify these deaths.
The unrest originated after shopkeepers and merchants protested against skyrocketing inflation, high unemployment, and the rapid devaluation of Iran’s currency. The disturbances quickly spread beyond bazaars to involve students and broader public demonstrations in cities nationwide.
In Lordegan, located in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, clashes grew more intense overnight. Fars News Agency, linked to the Revolutionary Guards, reported crowds hurled stones at government buildings—including the governor’s office, judiciary, Martyrs Foundation, Friday prayer complex, and several banks. Police employed force against protesters, and multiple buildings sustained heavy damage. Fars noted two people died during the clashes but did not specify if they were demonstrators or security personnel.
Kurdish rights group Hengaw reported several individuals were killed by security forces. In Kuhdasht, authorities claimed a Basij volunteer paramilitary member was killed and 13 others wounded in clashes, blaming demonstrators. Hengaw disputed this account, telling Reuters the individual was a protester slain by security forces. Reuters said it could not confirm either version.
Separately, Iran International reported a 37-year-old man was killed in Fooladshahr, Isfahan province, during overnight protests. Iran International stated it verified the man’s identity and reviewed video footage, while provincial police confirmed the death of a 37-year-old citizen without further details.
Six women detained during Tehran protests have been transferred to Evin prison’s women’s ward, according to U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
U.S. President Trump and other administration officials voiced support for demonstrators this week. Speaking Monday, Trump pointed to Iran’s economic collapse and long-standing public discontent, stopping short of explicitly calling for regime change.
Maryam Rajavi, NCRI’s President-elect, issued a statement on ongoing protests: “The four-day uprising by merchants, students, and other sectors of society signals the Iranian people’s determination to be free from religious tyranny. This wretched regime is doomed to be overthrown by the risen populace and rebellious youth. The final word is spoken in the streets by the people and the rebellious youth, those with nothing left to lose. This regime must go.”
The unrest comes as Iran’s economy remains under severe strain from years of sanctions, high inflation, and currency depreciation. Authorities declared a nationwide shutdown Wednesday, officially citing extreme cold weather, and said the government offered talks with merchant and trade union representatives over what it called “legitimate demands.”
Another influential dissident leader—exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, eldest son of Iran’s late Shah—took to social media and appealed to the international community “to stand with the people of Iran.” He continued: “The current regime has reached the end of the road. It stands at its most fragile: weak, deeply divided, and unable to suppress the courage of a rising nation. The growing protests show this year will be the definitive moment for change.”
Iran has faced repeated waves of unrest over the past decade. While 2022 nationwide protests following Mahsa Amini’s death centered on women’s rights and state repression, current demonstrations are rooted primarily in economic grievances, with protesters in several cities openly directing anger at Iran’s political leadership.
Reuters contributed to this report.