What began as a localized strike by bazaar merchants over a collapsing currency has escalated into a nationwide revolt, with authorities confirming the first fatalities among security forces and protesters as chants for the “end of theocracy” echo across the country.
At least six people, including a 15-year-old boy and a member of the paramilitary Basij force, have been killed as Iran’s most significant anti-government protests in three years swept through more than a dozen provinces on Thursday (January 1, 2026). Sparked by the historic collapse of the Iranian rial, which hit a record low of 1.45 million to the U.S. dollar this week, the unrest has rapidly evolved from economic frustration into a direct challenge to the clerical leadership of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The demonstrations, which started on December 28 in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, have now fractured into violent clashes in rural and provincial hubs.
- The Fatalities:
- In Lordegan (Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province), two protesters identified as Ahmad Jalil and Sajjad Valamanesh were reportedly killed during clashes with security forces.
- In Lorestan province, three people were shot dead in the city of Azna, including a 15-year-old boy named Mostafa.
- In Kuhdasht, the Revolutionary Guard confirmed the death of 21-year-old Basij volunteer Amirhossam Khodayari Fard, the first confirmed security fatality of the unrest.
- Economic Breakdown: Official inflation has topped 42%, but food prices have surged by over 72% year-on-year. The “commercial middle class,” including merchants and trade guilds, has largely shuttered shops in solidarity, a move that historically signals a regime-level crisis in Iran.
- Security Clampdown: Authorities have used live ammunition, tear gas, and batons to disperse crowds. In Tehran, university campuses like Amirkabir and Tehran University have become flashpoints for student-led rallies, leading to dozens of arrests.
The unrest comes as the Iranian leadership is still reeling from the “Twelve-Day War” with Israel in June 2025, which saw precision U.S. and Israeli airstrikes target the country’s nuclear and military infrastructure. In September, the United Nations triggered the “snapback” mechanism, reimposing global sanctions that have frozen Iranian assets abroad and further crippled the rial.
“The voices of citizens must be heard carefully… but people must not allow their demands to be strained by profit-seeking individuals,” said Saeed Pourali, a deputy governor in Lorestan, acknowledging livelihood concerns while blaming “rioters” for the violence.
“Mullahs must leave Iran! Death to the dictatorship!” protesters chanted in videos verified from Hamadan and Mashhad, signaling a shift in messaging from “bread and jobs” to regime change.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has tried a conciliatory tone, asking the interior ministry to “listen to legitimate demands” while acknowledging his government’s limited power to stabilize the currency. But the IRGC’s characterization of the protesters as “terrorists and rioters” suggests a much harsher security response is coming as the country enters the first weekend of the new year.
With over 50 union leaders and activists already detained and the internet being throttled in western provinces, human rights groups fear the death toll could rise significantly. As the bazaar remains closed and universities prepare for fresh sit-ins, the “economic winter” of 2026 poses the most serious existential threat to the Islamic Republic since the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement.
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