Iran, Dec 02 : Iran ushered in the New Year amid escalating violence on Thursday, as nationwide protests driven by deepening economic distress entered their fifth consecutive day, prompting a heavy-handed response from security forces across multiple cities.
At least one demonstrator has been confirmed dead after security personnel opened fire on protesters, while reports of additional casualties have emerged from several provinces. Independent verification remains difficult due to strict controls on information and reporting within the country.
Protests spread nationwide, fatality confirmed
Iran International reported that a protester, identified as Dariush Ansari Bakhtiarvand, was shot dead by security forces in Fooladshahr. Other deaths were reported elsewhere, though these claims could not be independently confirmed.
Demonstrations have spread rapidly, encompassing major cities such as Tehran and Mashhad as well as provincial centres including Lorestan, Isfahan, Khuzestan, and several smaller towns. What began as protests over rising prices, unemployment, and economic hardship has increasingly evolved into open challenges to Iran’s clerical leadership.
In multiple locations, protesters were heard chanting slogans directly targeting the country’s top leadership, signalling a shift from economic grievances to political confrontation.
Unrest reaches Qom, a symbolic stronghold
A significant escalation was marked by protests in Qom, widely regarded as the spiritual and ideological centre of the Islamic Republic. The city hosts powerful religious seminaries and senior clerics who have traditionally formed the regime’s core support base.
Videos circulating online showed crowds chanting slogans such as “Death to the Dictator” and “Long live the Shah”, while expressing support for exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi. Protesters appeared to defy security forces attempting to disperse them, even as force was used.
Observers say the emergence of openly anti-regime and pro-monarchy slogans in Qom represents a major symbolic breach, crossing long-standing political and religious red lines.
Crackdown intensifies across provinces
Clashes intensified in several regions. In Lorestan province, footage showed protesters advancing toward security forces without retreat. In Lordegan, multiple fatalities were reported during violent confrontations, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency, which has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
In Marvdasht, witnesses said security forces fired on demonstrators after chants such as “This year is the year of blood, Seyyed Ali will be overthrown” echoed through the streets. In Mashhad, another religious hub, demonstrators gathered near a metro station before authorities intervened to disperse the crowd.
Arrests have accompanied the crackdown. Local sources in Farsan, in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, said at least 20 protesters many of them under 18 were detained following street demonstrations.
Residents across several areas reported the use of tear gas, smoke grenades, batons, and live ammunition, with teenagers appearing to be disproportionately targeted during detentions.
Unrest reaches a critical phase
With confirmed fatalities and expanding unrest, analysts say the protests have entered a decisive phase. What initially appeared as scattered demonstrations over economic hardship is now being viewed as a broader challenge to the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic.
Iranian observers warn that reliance on force alone may further inflame public anger, noting that each crackdown has so far appeared to deepen, rather than suppress, the unrest.