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Several people were killed in unrest in Iran, Iranian media and rights groups reported Thursday, as the largest protests to hit the Islamic Republic in three years following deteriorating economic conditions sparked violence in several provinces.
The semi-official Fars news agency reported that three protesters were killed and 17 others injured in an attack on a police station in Iran’s western Lorestan province.
Fars said protesters entered police headquarters around 6 p.m. local time on Thursday, where “they clashed with police forces and set several police cars on fire.”
Earlier, Fars and rights group Hengaw reported deaths in the town of Lordegan in Charmahal and Bakhtiari province. Authorities confirmed one death in the western town 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 unrest that has spread across the country since traders began protesting on Sunday against the government’s handling of a sharp currency decline and rapid price rises.
Protests spread across Iran
Fars reported that two people were killed in Lordegan during clashes between security services and what it called armed protesters. He had indicated earlier that several had died. Hengaw said several people were killed and injured there by security forces.
The Revolutionary Guards said a member of the Basij volunteer paramilitary unit affiliated with them, Amirhossam Khodayari Fard, was killed in Kuhdasht, and 13 others injured.
The Basij is a volunteer paramilitary force loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Guardians on Thursday accused those involved in the unrest in Kuhdasht of “taking advantage of the atmosphere of popular protests.”
However, Hengaw said the man was protesting and was killed by security forces.
Hengaw also reported that a protester was shot dead in central Iran’s Isfahan province on Wednesday.
Reuters could not immediately verify any of the reports.
Protests also took place Thursday in Marvdasht, in the southern province of Fars, activist news site HRANA reported. Hengaw said protesters were arrested Wednesday in the western provinces of Kermanshah, Khuzestan and Hamedan.
Government shutdown
Iran’s clerical leaders are grappling with Western sanctions that have battered an economy already reeling from inflation of more than 40 percent, made worse by Israeli and U.S. airstrikes in June targeting the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile infrastructure and military leadership.
Tehran responded to the protests by offering dialogue alongside its security response.
Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Thursday that authorities would hold direct dialogue with representatives of unions and traders, but gave no further details.
Traders, traders and students from several Iranian universities have been protesting for days and closing major bazaars. The government shut down much of the country on Wednesday, declaring a public holiday due to the cold weather.
In recent years, authorities have suppressed protests on issues ranging from high prices, droughts, women’s rights and political freedoms, often with tight security measures and widespread arrests.
Iran’s economy has been struggling for years, mainly because of U.S. and Western sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program. Regional tensions led to a 12-day air war with Israel in June, further straining the country’s finances.
The Iranian rial lost about half its value against the dollar in 2025, with official inflation reaching 42.5% in December.
