Iran protests: Seven killed as protests over economy spread across Iran

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Tehran: Atleast seven people lost their lives during clashes between protesters and security forces in the city of Lordegan, in south-western Iran against worsening economic conditions in Iran.

The fatalities, two on Wednesday and five on Thursday, occurred in four cities, largely home to Iran’s Lur ethnic group.

Protesters reportedly clashed with police, hurled stones at officers, and torched vehicles.

Twenty people were detained during the protests, the prosecutor of Kuhdasht said Thursday, according to state-run Tasnim News Agency.

In Malard county, west of Tehran, officials arrested 30 individuals for “disturbing public order,” Fars reported. The agency quoted county official Mansour Saleki, who said those detained were “misusing the lawful right to protest.”

Based on investigations, several of those arrested had traveled from nearby counties, Saleki said, according to Fars.
As crises deepen and protests spread, Iran’s frail supreme leader turns to familiar tactics.

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Shop owners, bazaar traders, and university students joined demonstrations in several Iranian cities this week, chanting slogans against the government over economic hardship after the national currency plunged to historic lows.

The unrest represents the largest demonstrations since the nationwide protests of 2022, which erupted after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody following her arrest for allegedly violating headscarf rules.

The US State Department said in a post on X on Wednesday that it was alarmed by reports of protesters facing “intimidation, violence, and arrests,” urging Iranian authorities to halt the crackdown.

“First the bazaars. Then the students. Now the entire country. Iranians stand together. Different lives, one demand: respect our voices and our rights,” the State Department wrote in a Farsi-language post on X.

Though still limited in scope, the protests signal the latest phase of mounting dissatisfaction in Iran, as citizens gradually reclaim public spaces and personal freedoms through spontaneous, uncoordinated acts of resistance.

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