Iranian security force member killed during protests, official says

A member of Iran’s security forces was killed during the fourth day of protests in the country, sparked by the collapse of the currency, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Citing regional official Saeed Pourali, Fars said the incident occurred in the town of Kouhdasht in the western province of Lorestan, adding that a number of security force members were also injured.

Footage verified by BBC Persian appears to show security forces shooting at protesters in the city the same day.

Clashes were also reported Thursday in the southern province of Fars and the western provinces of Hamedan and Lorestan.

Authorities in the capital, Tehran, declared Wednesday a public holiday – in an apparent bid to quell unrest that erupted in the capital on Sunday.

The Fars report said a 21-year-old member of the Basij – a paramilitary force linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards – was killed during a clash in the town of Kouhdasht. Thirteen police officers and Basij members were injured by stone throwing, according to the report.

Unrest also broke out in other cities.

In the southern province of Fars, protesters attempted to break into a local government building, with authorities reporting three police officers injured and four people arrested in the town of Fasa.

In a video posted on social media and verified by the BBC, a crowd is filmed forcing the gate of the governor’s office. in the city.

Then, in another station, security agents are seen shooting in response. Clouds of tear gas rise in front of closed stores.

Across the country, schools, universities and public institutions were closed due to the last-minute public holiday announced by the Iranian government.

This was apparently to save energy due to the cold, although many Iranians saw it as an attempt to contain the protests.

They started in Tehran – among traders angered by yet another sharp fall in the value of the Iranian currency against the US dollar on the open market.

By Tuesday, university students were involved and they had spread to several cities, with people chanting against the country’s religious leaders.

These protests are the most widespread since the 2022 uprising sparked by the death in detention of Mahsa Amini, a young woman accused by the moral police of not wearing her veil correctly. But they were not of the same magnitude.

To avoid any escalation, reinforced security is now provided in the neighborhoods of Tehran where the demonstrations began.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said his government would listen to protesters’ “legitimate demands.”

But Attorney General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad also warned that any attempt to create instability would result in what he called a “decisive response.”