Tehran (TDI): The death toll from widespread protests in Iran has reached at least 42 as demonstrations enter their second week. According to the Iran Human Rights Activists News Agency, fatalities include dozens of protesters and members of security forces.
The unrest, which began on December 28 in the Tehran Grand Bazaar, initially focused on severe economic distress, including a steep plunge in the value of the rial and sharply rising food and fuel prices.
But demonstrations quickly expanded into broader nationwide dissent against the leadership, and calls for political reform. Rallies have erupted in dozens of cities across all 31 provinces, with reports of clashes in major urban centers such as Tehran, Mashhad, and Kermanshah.
In response to the swelling protests, Iranian authorities imposed an internet and phone blackout, cutting off digital communications.
While traders and shopkeepers initially led sit-ins and work stoppages, many participants now chant slogans condemning the government and even calling for regime change.
Security forces have responded with live ammunition, tear gas, and other crowd-control measures used against demonstrators. Human rights organizations have condemned what they describe as disproportionate and unlawful use of force.
Read More: Iran Unrest Escalates Amid Economic Hardship
Iranian officials recognize the protests over economic difficulties but have also drawn attention to foreign interference and maligning and manipulation of these protests.
While the demonstrations have remained smaller than the nationwide unrest of 2022–23, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, they have quickly broadened from economic grievances to include anti government slogans.
Reports indicate that roughly 1,200 people have been arrested, and at least 250 police officers and 45 members of the Basij paramilitary force have been injured.
Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said earlier that President Pezeshkian had ordered that demonstrators should not be met with force.
“Those who carry firearms, knives and machetes and attack police stations and military sites are rioters, and we must distinguish them from peaceful protesters,” he said.
