DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Widening demonstrations sparked by Iran’s struggling economy spread across the Islamic Republic’s rural provinces on Thursday, with at least six people killed in the first reported deaths among security forces and protesters, authorities said.
The deaths could mark the start of a tougher response from the Iranian theocracy to the demonstrations, which have slowed in the capital, Tehran, but have spread elsewhere. The deaths, one on Wednesday and five on Thursday, occurred in three cities dominated by Iran’s Lur ethnic group.
The protests became Iran’s largest 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 because she did not wear the hijab or headscarf to the liking of the authorities.
The most intense violence appeared to hit Azna, a town in Iran’s Lorestan province, about 300 kilometers (185 miles) southwest of Tehran. There, online videos purported to show street objects on fire and gunfire ringing out as people shouted: “Shameless! Shameless!”
The semi-official Fars news agency reported that three people were killed. Other media, including pro-reform outlets, cited Fars for the report, while state media did not fully acknowledge the violence there or elsewhere. It was unclear why there was not more reporting on the unrest, but journalists faced arrest over their reporting in 2022.
In Lordegan, a town in Iran’s Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, online videos showed demonstrators gathered on a street with the sound of gunfire in the background. The footage matched known features in Lordegan, about 470 kilometers (290 miles) south of Tehran.
Fars, citing an unnamed official, 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 demonstrators. He also shared a still image of what appeared to be an Iranian police officer wearing body armor and wielding a rifle.
In 2019, the area around Lordegan saw widespread protests and demonstrators damaged government buildings after a report said people there had been infected with HIV by contaminated needles used at a local health care clinic.
“Protests due to economic pressures”
A separate demonstration on Wednesday evening led to the 21-year-old volunteer from the Basij force of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
State news agency IRNA reported the death of the Guardsman, but gave no details. An Iranian news agency called the Student News Network, believed to be close to the Basij, directly blamed protesters for the death of the Guard member, citing comments from Saeed Pourali, a deputy governor in Lorestan province.
The Guardsman “was martyred … by rioters during protests in this city in defense of public order,” he said. Another 13 Basij members and police officers sustained injuries, he added.
“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 people must not allow their demands to be strained by profit-seekers.”
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 that calm had returned to the city, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported.
Currency crash sparks protests
Iran’s civilian government under reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has tried to signal that it is willing to negotiate with the protesters. However, Pezeshkian admitted there was not much he could do because Iran’s rial currency had depreciated rapidly, with $1 now worth about 1.4 million rials.
State television, meanwhile, reported separately on the arrest of seven people, including five it described as monarchists and two it said were linked to European groups. State television also said another operation saw security forces confiscate 100 smuggled guns, without elaborating.
Iran’s theocracy declared a public holiday across much of the country on Wednesday, citing the cold weather, likely in an attempt to get people out of the capital for a long weekend. The Iranian weekend is Thursday and Friday, while Saturday marks Imam Ali’s birthday, another holiday for many.
The protests, which are rooted in economic issues, also heard demonstrators chanting against Iran’s theocracy. The country’s leaders are still reeling after Israel launched a 12-day war against the country in June. The US also bombed Iranian nuclear sites during the war.
Iran has said it is no longer enriching uranium anywhere in the country, seeking to signal to the West that it remains open to potential sanctions relief on its nuclear program. However, these talks have not yet taken place as US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have warned Tehran against rebuilding its nuclear program.