Several reported killed in Iran protests over economy

According to media and human rights groups reporting, many people died during the unrest in Iran; because the biggest protests in the country in three years due to rising inflation led to violence in many regions.

Fars news agency and human rights group Hengaw reported the deaths in the western Iranian city of Lordegan. ⁠

Authorities confirmed one death in the western city of Kuhdasht, and Hengaw reported another death in the central province of Isfahan.

The clashes between protesters and security forces mark a significant escalation in the unrest that has spread since shopkeepers began protesting on Sunday over the government’s intervention over a collapse in the exchange rate and skyrocketing prices.

Fars reported that two people were killed in clashes between security services and armed protesters in Lordegan. ‌

Several people were previously rumored to have died.

Hengaw said many people there were killed and injured by security forces.

The Revolutionary Guard stated that a member of its Basij volunteer paramilitary unit was killed in Kuhdasht and 13 others were injured, and accused the demonstrators of taking advantage of the protests.

Hengaw said the man, identified by the Revolutionary Guard as Amirhossam Khodayari Fard, was killed by security forces during the protest.

Hengaw also reported that a protester was shot dead in Iran’s central Isfahan province on Wednesday.

Reuters could not immediately confirm any of these reports.

Protests also took place in Marvdasht in southern Fars province on Thursday, activist news site HRANA reported.

Hengaw said the demonstrators were detained in the western provinces of Kermanshah, Khuzestan and Hamedan on Wednesday.

The unrest comes at a critical moment for Iran’s religious rulers, as foreign sanctions have hit the economy with 40 percent inflation and Israeli and U.S. airstrikes in June targeted the country’s nuclear infrastructure and military leadership.

Iranian authorities responded to the protests with a security response as well as an offer of dialogue, an ostensibly conciliatory gesture.

Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Thursday that officials would engage in direct dialogue with union and trader representatives but could not provide details.

Basij is a volunteer paramilitary force loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

It is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which accused those involved in Thursday’s unrest in Kuhdasht of “taking advantage of the atmosphere of public protests.”

Merchants, shopkeepers and students at some universities in Iran have been demonstrating for days and closing major markets.

The government declared a holiday on Wednesday due to cold weather, shutting down most of the country.

Authorities have suppressed protests over a variety of issues in recent years, including high prices, drought, women’s rights and political freedoms, mostly with harsh security measures and extensive arrests.

The Iranian rial will lose nearly half of its value against the US dollar in 2025, while inflation reached 42.5 percent in December.

Iran’s civilian government, led by reformist President Massoud Pezeshkian, is trying to signal that it is willing to negotiate with protesters.

However, Pezeshkian acknowledged that there was not much he could do because the Iranian rial currency was losing value rapidly and 1 US dollar now costs 1.4 million rials.

with AP