Oil can painted with the Iran flag / Envato Market
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – Violence between protesters and security forces intensified across Iran on Thursday, leaving at least five people dead as nationwide demonstrations entered a fifth consecutive day, according to Iranian state-linked media and human rights groups.
Three people were killed during clashes outside a police station in Azna, in Lorestan Province, while two others died near the governor’s residence in Lordegan, in the neighboring province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran’s Fars news agency reported. Fars, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said police used tear gas after protesters threw stones at government buildings, banks, and administrative offices, causing extensive damage.
The unrest comes amid mounting anger over Iran’s collapsing economy, with demonstrations spreading from urban centers to rural provinces. Protests were also reported in Tehran and cities including Kermanshah, Delfan, Arak, Marvdasht, and Kouhdasht, according to opposition groups and international media.
Economic Collapse Fuels Unrest
The protests began Sunday after merchants and shopkeepers took to the streets following a sharp plunge in the value of Iran’s currency. The rial has lost roughly 60% of its value since a June war with Israel, with inflation soaring and basic goods becoming increasingly unaffordable. Iran’s food inflation reached 64.2% in October, the second-highest rate globally, according to World Bank data.
International sanctions tied to Iran’s nuclear program have compounded the crisis, limiting access to foreign currency and trade. Tehran has failed to secure a deal with the United States that could ease sanctions, despite signaling openness to negotiations.
Security Forces, Basij Casualties Reported
Iranian authorities said a 21-year-old member of the Basij volunteer force, tasked with protecting the Islamic Republic, was killed Wednesday night in Kouhdasht after demonstrators allegedly threw stones. Local officials said about a dozen Basij members and police officers were injured in the clashes. State media described the Basij member as having been “martyred,” while rights groups disputed official accounts, claiming some casualties were protesters killed by security forces.
Iran’s prosecutor-general warned that any attempt to turn economic protests into what he described as “insecurity” or “destruction of public property” would face a “firm response.” Analysts say the rising death toll may signal a broader crackdown.
“The only strategy the regime knows is repression,” said Saeid Golkar, an Iran expert at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Fears of Wider Crackdown
Iranian officials initially vowed to address economic grievances, but hard-liners have warned against calls for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. The government’s response has drawn comparisons to the 2022 protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, when hundreds were killed during a sweeping security crackdown.
Human rights groups say repression has intensified in recent months. More than 1,870 people were executed in Iran in 2025, nearly double the previous year, according to the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights. Over 490 executions have taken place since November alone.
Regional and International Fallout
The protests come as Iran’s leadership continues to reel from the June conflict with Israel, during which Israeli and U.S. strikes targeted Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure. Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have warned Tehran against rebuilding its nuclear program.
President Trump and other U.S. officials voiced support this week for Iranian demonstrators, citing economic collapse and long-standing public discontent, though stopping short of explicitly calling for regime change.
Opposition leader Maryam Rajavi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran said the demonstrations reflect a growing determination among Iranians to challenge what she called “religious tyranny,” declaring that “the final word is spoken in the streets.”
As protests persist and fatalities mount, analysts warn Iran may be approaching another decisive moment—one that could determine whether economic anger fades or erupts into a broader confrontation with the ruling theocracy.
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