Iran is facing its most extensive wave of protests in years, driven by an economic crisis and mounting external pressure. The authorities have responded with harsh crackdowns, while access to the internet has been almost entirely curtailed: the country has been under an internet blackout for several days, severely complicating efforts to verify reports and videos emerging from different cities.
Despite the shutdown, social media has seen footage purportedly showing protests in Tehran and other towns, though independent verification remains difficult. Iran’s opposition claims that protesters have taken control of Abdanan and Malekshahi, with chants of “Death to Khamenei” heard in the streets, but official bodies have not confirmed the loss of any cities.
On the night into Friday, January 9, Iranians again took to the streets despite the severe suppression of protests, as state media reported the deaths of several members of the security forces. Videos circulated on social media that are said to show gatherings in Tehran, with crowds chanting anti-government slogans—defying official warnings that protest participants would receive no “legal leniency.”
Verifying the authenticity of these videos has proven impossible due to a communications blockade now in its third day, effectively cutting the Islamic Republic off from the outside world.
The protests—the most serious internal challenge to the regime in years—erupted amid a convergence of external and domestic pressures, including the rapid depreciation of the national currency, as the state finds itself with ever fewer resources to cushion public discontent.
On Saturday, January 10, Iranian state television reported that three police officers had been killed in attacks on security forces in Shiraz and its surrounding areas, citing Tasnim, a news agency linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. State media blamed “armed groups” for assaults on “state and private property in several provinces,” including mosques, and said the damage was substantial.
According to state television, on Thursday, as the protests entered an acute phase, several members of the security forces were also killed in Tehran, with two more police officers dying in the religious city of Qom. Two security personnel were killed in Shushtar. In addition, it was claimed that in the northeastern city of Esfarayen, a local prosecutor and four members of the security forces were killed during what authorities described as “riots.” Press TV also reported the deaths of several Basij fighters—a volunteer force linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
At the same time, the broadcaster quoted a national police spokesman as saying that “calm” had been restored in cities. According to Press TV, following “stern warnings from the security agencies,” no gatherings or disturbances were recorded in most provinces, despite “limited attempts by rioters to destabilize public order.”
Because of the communications shutdown, independent verification of these claims is also impossible.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said that as of January 3, at least 28 demonstrators had been killed in the crackdown on the protests.
The demonstrations, now in their 13th day, began in late December amid economic discontent after shopkeepers in Tehran closed their stores to protest a sharp rise in prices. Over time, they evolved into nationwide anti-government protests, spreading to small towns and communities across the country.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, who came to power 18 months ago on promises of economic reform, initially sought to calm the protesters. He met with business representatives to discuss their grievances and appointed a new central bank governor in an effort to restore “economic stability.”
However, as the protests gathered momentum—when on Thursday, at the start of Iran’s weekend, large crowds poured into the streets of Tehran and other cities—the authorities all but shut down communications channels and stepped up pressure on demonstrators.
“For the Islamic Republic, this is uncharted territory—we are seeing organic, bottom-up pressure, with segments of society that have historically formed the backbone of the regime taking to the streets, and this is quickly morphing into something far larger,” said Ellie Geranmayeh of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “There are no easy answers to this pressure, and it is unfolding simultaneously with pressure from above—from the United States and Israel.”
In a speech on Thursday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused the protesters of acting in the interests of US President Donald Trump and vowed that the authorities would not back down. The regime also claims that the protests are being stoked by foreign forces and “terrorists.”
Trump, for his part, threatened to intervene and “come to the rescue” if Iran’s authorities begin killing demonstrators.
“Iran has big problems,” Trump said on Friday. “From what I’m seeing, people are starting to take control of individual cities—something that would have seemed impossible just a few weeks ago.”
The US president also warned Iran’s leadership, saying that “you’d better not start shooting, because then we’ll start shooting.”
The current unrest marks the most serious internal challenge to the regime since 2022, when Mahsa Amini was detained for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly and died in custody. According to Amnesty International, more than 300 people were killed during the crackdown on those protests.
The new wave of demonstrations has been accompanied by openly anti-government slogans, including chants of “death to the dictator”—a direct reference to 86-year-old Ali Khamenei, who has been in power since 1989.
The Iranian rial has lost more than 40 percent of its value since June, when Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran, in which senior military commanders and nuclear scientists were killed, air-defense systems were destroyed, and nuclear facilities were bombed—including by the United States.