Large-scale demonstrations sparked by the ailing economy have spread to rural provinces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with at least seven people killed for the first time between security forces and protesters, authorities said, cited by news agencies.
According to the AP agency, two victims on Wednesday and five on Thursday occurred in four cities, mostly home to the Iranian Lur ethnic group.
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At least three people were killed and 17 others were injured in protests in the city of Azna in Lorestan province, about 300 km southwest of Tehran, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported on Thursday.
Fars earlier reported that two people were killed during protests in Lordegan, a town about 470 km south of Tehran in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces.
“Some protesters started throwing stones at the city’s administrative buildings, including the provincial governor’s office, the mosque, the Martyrs Foundation, the town hall and banks,” Fars said.
The biggest protests since 2022
The protests have become the largest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody sparked nationwide demonstrations. However, the demonstrations have not yet been nationwide and have not been as intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained for not wearing a hijab or headscarf, according to the authorities.
An AP report said the most intense violence appeared to have hit Azna. There were videos online that purportedly showed objects on the street in flames and gunshots echoing as people shouted, “Shameless!
The semi-official Fars news agency said three people were killed. Other media, including pro-reform media, cited Fars in the report, while state media did not fully acknowledge the violence there or elsewhere. It was unclear why there was not more coverage of the unrest, but journalists faced arrest for their coverage in 2022.
Protesters gathered in the street
In Lordegan, online videos showed protesters gathered in the street with the sound of gunfire in the background. The recording matched the known features of Lordegan, about 470 kilometers (290 mi) south of Tehran.
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Citing an unnamed official, Fars said two people were killed during Thursday’s protests. The Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran said two people were killed there, identifying the dead as protesters. He also shared a still image of what appeared to be an Iranian policeman wearing a flak jacket and carrying a shotgun.
In Fuladshahr, Iran’s Isfahan province, state media reported the death of a man on Thursday, which activist groups attributed to police firing on protesters.
Why is Iran protesting?
Iranian state television also reported that a member of the security forces was killed overnight during protests in the western city of Kouhdasht.
“A 21-year-old Basij member from the city of Kouhdasht was killed last night by rioters while defending public order,” the channel said, citing Said Pourali, deputy governor of Lorestan province. The Basij are a volunteer force linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“The protests that have taken place are due to economic pressures, inflation and currency fluctuations and are an expression of livelihood concerns,” Pourali said. “Citizens’ voices must be heard carefully and tactfully, but the people must not allow their demands to be strained by profit-seeking individuals.”
The protests took place in the city of Kouhdasht, more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) southwest of Tehran. Local prosecutor Kazem Nazari said 20 people had been arrested after the protests and calm had returned to the city, the justice news agency Mizan reported.
Currency concerns
Iran’s civilian government, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, is trying to signal that it wants to negotiate with the protesters. However, Pezeshkian acknowledged that there is not much he can do because Iran’s rial currency has weakened rapidly and $1 is now worth about 1.4 million rials.
State television reported the arrest of seven people, including five it described as royalists and two others it said were linked to European groups. Television reports also said security forces seized 100 smuggled pistols in another operation, without elaborating.
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The violent demonstrations are reported days after traders began protesting on Sunday over the government’s handling of the currency’s slide and soaring prices.
The protests that have occurred are driven by economic pressures, inflation and currency fluctuations, and are an expression of livelihood concerns.
The unrest comes as Western sanctions hit Iran’s economy, hitting it with 40 percent inflation, and following airstrikes by Israel and the United States in June 2025 targeting the country’s nuclear infrastructure and military leadership.
