Six dead in Iran after Tehran launches violent crackdown on protesters

At least six people were confirmed dead on the fifth day of spreading unrestacross Iran.

Protesters vowed not to back down amid a violent regime crackdown on Thursday in which riot squads opened fire on demonstrators and carried out mass arrests.

More cities joined the protests as night fell and clashes intensified in several locations, which forced officials to send in reinforcements.

Iran’s Fars news agency reported two people killed in clashes between security forces and protesters in the city of Lordegan and three in Azna.

Authorities said a volunteer member of the Basij paramilitary force was also killed in western Kuhdasht, and dozens of people were arrested as riot police and plainclothes agents attempted to contain the protests.

A human rights organisation said that the man, named by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as Amirhessam Khodayari Fard, had been protesting and was killed by security forces.

Protesters in more than a dozen cities chanted, “this year is a year of blood, Seyyed Ali will be overthrown” and “death to the dictator,” referring to supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

The clashes mark a significant escalation in unrest that began on Sunday, when shopkeepers protested against the government’s handling of a falling currency and rising prices.

Strikes and protests over the country’s deepening economic crisis, which later spread into anti-regime demonstrations.

President Masoud Pezeshkian has acknowledged there is not much he can do as Iran’s rial currency has rapidly depreciated, with one dollar now costing some 1.34 million rials.

The protests represent the most significant challenge to Iran’s government since the 2022 demonstrations following Mahsa Amini’s death in custody.

Unlike those protests, which centred on women’s rights and mandatory hijab laws, the current unrest stems from economic grievances but has quickly adopted familiar anti-government slogans.

Protests broke out Thursday evening in Qom, one of Iran’s holiest cities and a centre of Shia religious scholarship.

Demonstrations in Qom, usually a stronghold of support for the regime, shows the widespread public anger.

Residents in multiple cities told The Telegraph that security forces blocked roads, maintained a heavy armed presence on the streets, and clashed with the people.

Workers at Tehran’s massive fruits market also joined the protests on Thursday, according to videos showing crowds of workers demonstrating against rising prices.

The market, which supplies much of the capital’s fruit and vegetables, has been particularly hard hit by currency fluctuations that have driven up the cost of imported goods.

Merchants in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, whose closures have historically signalled serious political trouble for Iranian governments, kept their shops closed for the fifth consecutive day.

Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian, Tehran’s governor, claimed on Thursday that authorities had “managed” the bazaar protests with help from security forces, saying demonstrators had the legal right to protest “as long as they didn’t disrupt public order.”

However, he confirmed that when protests spilled into public streets, security forces intervened.

“We managed it through the provincial security council and field management by the police,” Mr Motamedian said.

Siamak, a boutique owner in Nahavand, said riot squads and protesters clashed Wednesday night and Thursday morning, leaving multiple people injured.

“They were shooting pellets without any regard for whether they would kill or blind people. I saw two people soaked in blood.”

He added: “Instead of hospitals, people had to take them to nearby houses because police are everywhere.”

‘This year is very different’

The 32-year-old, who also participated in the 2022 demonstrations, said he noticed a stark difference in how quickly crowds are forming.

“I attended the Mahsa (Amini) protests too, but this year is very different. Gatherings form extremely quickly – you see 10 people chanting, and a few minutes later, there are hundreds,” he told The Telegraph.

At least 27 people have been arrested in two cities alone.

The Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the IRGC, reported seven arrests in Kermanshah, claiming those detained were connected to opposition groups abroad and intended to turn peaceful protests into chaos.

In Kuhdasht, the local prosecutor said 20 people were detained on Wednesday night for chanting “destructive slogans” and throwing stones at police, leaving 13 officers injured.

The economic crisis driving the protests has deepened despite government promises of reform.

The currency collapse is just one symptom of Iran’s broader economic malaise that has left entire generations struggling.

Young people face high unemployment after years of study, and many university graduates end up driving taxis or working in coffee shops if they can find work at all.

Several students were arrested on campuses on Wednesday night for chanting slogans against the regime. Iranian universities have historically served as launching points for political upheaval.

‘We are tired of the regime’

Houman, an art student at a university in Tehran, told The Telegraph that he stopped attending classes three months ago owing to a lack of motivation “caused by the authorities’ mismanagement”.

He said: “I went out to the protests for the first time in this round on Tuesday night, knowing that I could be killed, but that doesn’t matter. Most of us understand the risks, yet we still go because we are tired of the regime.”

“They have made our lives miserable just to fund Gaza and Lebanon. We are facing economic hardship, and sometimes I struggle to afford even a pack of cigarettes.”

He added: “People reached a breaking point a long time ago, and now they are showing their frustration. We have nothing to lose. I would be happy if they killed me – we will not back down this time.”

Iran’s currency collapse is compounding severe inflation. The state statistics centre reported inflation reached 42.2 per cent in December, up 1.8 percentage points from November. Food prices surged 72 per cent.

Kamran, a father of two from central Karaj, said he sold his wife’s two gold bangles in October because he could no longer afford basic household needs.

“They [the regime] have made us a poor and hungry nation,” he said. “And when we protest, they kill us.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]