Reuters reported that protests across Iran, triggered by the sharp devaluation of the currency and soaring prices, have escalated continuously and have resulted in multiple deaths. This is one of the largest social uprisings in three years. A semi-official media outlet reported that a police station in Lorestan Province in western Iran was attacked, with at least three protesters killed and 17 injured. Human rights organizations and media also reported deaths in the city of Lordegan in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Esfahan Province, and Kuhdasht. The unrest began with merchants protesting the government's failure to cope with the sharp drop in the rial and high inflation, then spread to multiple provinces and clashed with security forces, with reports of fires set to police cars. Authorities and protesters have conflicting accounts of the casualties. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said one of its affiliated Basij volunteer paramilitary forces members was killed and several people were injured in Kuhdasht, accusing demonstrators of "taking advantage of the situation." Human rights organizations, however, stated that the victims were protesters and were caused by security forces. The government has increased security deployments while stating it will hold dialogues with union and merchant representatives. Analysts believe that Western sanctions combined with Israeli and US airstrikes in June against Iranian military and nuclear facilities have worsened the economic crisis; the rial has depreciated by about half against the US dollar in 2025, and the official inflation rate reached 42.5% in December, serving as the direct background for this unrest.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1853203549915147/
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