Iran: At least 25 people killed during economic protests, human rights groups say

At least 25 people have been killed in Iran during the first nine days of protests that began in Tehran’s bazaar against falling currency values ​​and soaring inflation, rights groups say.

The protests have spread to some cities in western and southern Iran, but do not match the scale of unrest that will sweep the country in 2022-2023. following the death of Mahsa Aminidied while being detained by Iranian morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code.

Hengaw, an Iranian Kurdish rights group, put the death toll at 25, including four people under the age of 18. He said more than 1,000 people had been arrested. HRANA, a network of human rights activists, said Tuesday that at least 35 people had been killed, including two law enforcement officers, in addition to 1,203 arrests.

Reuters was unable to independently verify these figures.

However, although smaller in scale, these protests quickly expanded from an economic focus to broader frustrations, with some demonstrators chanting slogans against the country’s religious leaders.

Iran also remains under international pressure, with US President Donald Trump threatening on Friday to come to the aid of protesters in Iran if security forces fired on them. In response, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed not to “give in to the enemy.”

The country’s religious establishment is still coming to terms with 2025 Israeli and US strikes against Iranian nuclear and military targets. The attacks, which killed top Revolutionary Guard commanders and nuclear scientists, were launched just a day before the planned sixth round of negotiations with Washington over Tehran’s controversial nuclear program.

Trump’s warning came a day before US special forces seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife on Jan. 3 and took them to New York to face criminal charges.

Iran, which has for years allied itself with fellow oil producer Venezuela, which has also suffered from years of US sanctions, condemned Washington’s action in Caracas.

Iran condemns ‘rioters’

Iranian authorities did not give a death toll for the protesters, but said at least two members of the security services died and more than a dozen were injured during the unrest.

“While distinguishing between protesters and rioters, law enforcement showed force against the rioters by arresting them on the spot or later after identification by intelligence units,” Iranian police chief Ahmadreza Radan said on Tuesday, quoted by state media.

“I promise that we will deal with the last of these rioters. There is still time for those who have been deceived by foreign services to identify themselves and rely on the greatness of the Islamic Republic.”

HRANA said that during the protests, slogans went beyond economic demands and included criticism of governance and calls for justice. Protests have so far taken place in 27 out of 31 provinces and have spread to smaller towns, the statement said.

The authorities acknowledged the economic difficulties but accused networks linked to foreign powers of “pushing economic protests towards chaos and disorder”, with the head of the judiciary pledging to have no mercy towards the “rioters”.

President Masoud Pezeshkian encouraged dialogue and promised reforms aimed at stabilizing the monetary and banking systems and protecting purchasing power.

The government announced subsidy reform, removing preferential exchange rates for importers in favor of direct transfers to Iranians to increase their purchasing power for essential goods. The measure will come into force on January 10.

The head of the central bank was also replaced on December 29.

The rial fell further on Tuesday, representing a 4% drop since the protests began.