At least 36 people have been killed during the past ten days of nationwide protests in Iran, according to a human rights organization, as violence between demonstrators and security forces continues to escalate.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), an Iran-focused group based abroad, reported that 34 of the confirmed fatalities were protesters, while two were linked to Iran’s security forces. Iranian authorities have not released an official death toll but have acknowledged that three members of the security forces have been killed.
In addition to the fatalities, HRANA stated that more than 60 protesters have been injured, while 2,076 people have been arrested amid unrest that has spread to 27 of Iran’s 31 provinces. The demonstrations were triggered by a deepening economic crisis, particularly the sharp decline of Iran’s national currency.
Clashes and Security Crackdown
On Tuesday evening, Iran’s semi-official media reported that a police officer was shot dead during unrest in Malekshahi, located in the western province of Ilam, one of the areas most affected by protests and heavy security force intervention.
Video footage circulating online shows security forces deploying tear gas during clashes with demonstrators, who were heard chanting anti-government slogans in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, a traditional center of commerce and political expression.
Economic Roots of the Protests
The protests began on December 28, when shopkeepers and merchants took to the streets of the capital to protest the dramatic fall of the Iranian rial against the US dollar on the open market. Rising inflation, unemployment, and declining purchasing power have fueled widespread public anger.
International and Political Reactions
On Friday, US President Donald Trump warned of potential American intervention if Iranian security forces continued to kill peaceful protesters.
In response, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate authority in the country, issued a hardline statement the following day, declaring that “rebels must be put in their place” and vowing that Iran would “not submit to the enemy.”
As protests persist and the death toll rises, concerns are mounting over human rights violations, political repression, and the risk of further escalation across the country.
