Iran protests turn deadly as anti-regime demonstrations enter fifth day

Protests in Iran entered a fifth consecutive day on Thursday, with demonstrations and clashes reported across Tehran and multiple provincial cities as authorities, state-linked media and rights groups cited additional deaths overnight.

According to Reuters, several people have been killed since the unrest escalated, based on reports from Iranian media and human rights groups. Iranian authorities have confirmed at least one death, while other fatalities have been reported in different provinces.

Opposition group National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) told Fox News Digital in a statement that protests and street clashes continued Thursday morning in Tehran and in cities including Marvdasht, Kermanshah, Delfan and Arak, and claimed that two protesters were killed by direct fire in Lordegan. Fox News Digital could not independently verify the deaths.

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The protests began on Sunday after shopkeepers and merchants demonstrated against soaring inflation, unemployment and the sharp depreciation of Iran’s currency. The unrest quickly spread beyond bazaars to include students and wider public demonstrations in cities across the country.

In Lordegan, in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, clashes intensified overnight. Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, reported that crowds threw stones at government buildings, including the governor’s office, the judiciary, the Martyrs Foundation, the Friday prayer complex and several banks. Police used tear gas to disperse protesters, and multiple buildings were heavily damaged. Fars said two people were killed during the clashes, without specifying whether they were protesters or security personnel.

The Kurdish rights group Hengaw reported that protesters in Lordegan were killed by security forces. In Kuhdasht, authorities said a member of the Basij volunteer paramilitary force was killed, and 13 others wounded during clashes, blaming demonstrators. Hengaw disputed that account, telling Reuters that the individual was a protester killed by security forces. Reuters said it could not confirm either version.

Separately, Iran International reported that a 37-year-old man was shot dead in Fooladshahr, in Isfahan province, during overnight protests. Iran International said it verified the man’s identity and reviewed video footage, while provincial police confirmed the death of a 37-year-old citizen without providing further details.

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Six women who were detained during protests in Tehran have been transferred to the women’s ward of Evin prison, U.S.-based rights group Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.

President Donald Trump and other administration officials voiced support for the demonstrators this week. Speaking Monday, Trump pointed to Iran’s economic collapse and long-standing public discontent, while stopping short of explicitly calling for regime change.

Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, issued a statement on the continuing protests, noting: “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 international sanctions, high inflation and currency depreciation. Authorities declared a nationwide shutdown on Wednesday, officially citing extreme cold weather, and said the government offered to hold talks with representatives of merchants and trade unions over what it described as “legitimate demands.”

Another influential dissident leader, the exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the late Shah of Iran, took to X and appealed to the international community “to stand with the people of Iran.” He continued in part, “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.”

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Iran has faced repeated waves of unrest over the past decade. While nationwide protests in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini centered on women’s rights and state repression, the current demonstrations are rooted primarily in economic grievances, with protesters in several cities now openly directing their anger at Iran’s political leadership.

Reuters contributed to this report.