Iran’s New Protest Wave Escalates as Economic Shock Turns Into Nationwide Unrest
Iran is witnessing an intensifying wave of protests that began with economic grievances linked to the collapse of the rial and rising prices, but has expanded into open anti-government demonstrations.
Iran is witnessing a new and intensifying wave of protests that began with economic grievances linked to the collapse of the rial and rising prices, but has rapidly expanded into open anti-government demonstrations across dozens of cities. What started around nine days ago with market closures and protests by Tehran’s bazaar merchants, particularly around Pasazh-e Alaaeddin and Jomhouri and Enghelab streets, has evolved into nightly street protests, university demonstrations, labor unrest, and confrontations with security forces in many cities and towns.
At the core of the unrest lies the sharp depreciation of the rial, persistent high inflation, and public anxiety over recent economic policy changes, including efforts to eliminate multiple exchange rates and reduce preferential currency mechanisms. While officials frame these reforms as necessary to curb corruption and rent-seeking, many Iranians fear the immediate consequences will be higher prices for food and essential goods, with limited protection for households and producers. Years of sanctions, mismanagement, and declining real incomes have left society extremely vulnerable to price shocks, turning economic policy into a political trigger.
Although the protests began with economic demands, reporting from across the country indicates that slogans have increasingly shifted toward explicitly political and anti-government messages, including chants directed at Iran’s leadership and the political system as a whole. Demonstrations have been reported in Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Ilam, Kermanshah, Ahvaz, Rasht, Sari, Amol, Arak, Sanandaj, Yasuj, Khorramabad, Nurabad Mamasani, Mahdishahr (Sangsar), Marvdasht, Karaj, Yazd, and several smaller towns, with particularly intense unrest in western and southwestern provinces. The reaction of security forces appears uneven, with security forces in some localities largely abstaining from lethal force while escalating severely at times in other locations, including against demonstrators near government facilities.
One of the deadliest flashpoints of this protest wave has been Malekshahi in Ilam Province. According to local witnesses and medical sources, protesters initially gathered to demonstrate against rising prices and deteriorating living conditions, marching toward the governor’s office, located next to a local IRGC facility. Multiple accounts state that security forces opened fire, resulting in numerous gunshot wounds and severe injuries. While details are not yet clear, approximately four individuals were killed with others in critical condition and more recovering from their wounds. Because Malekshahi lacks a hospital, the wounded were transferred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ilam, where several reportedly died en route due to the severity of their injuries.
Medical sources have described critical conditions, including patients with extremely low brain activity, others requiring intensive care, and at least one individual transferred to Ahvaz for advanced treatment. While officials have issued conflicting explanations regarding the type of weapons used, videos, eyewitness testimony, and medical accounts suggest the use of live ammunition, contradicting assertions that only non-lethal crowd-control measures were employed.
Tensions escalated further when security forces reportedly attempted to enter the hospital, leading to confrontations with patients’ families, civilians, and medical staff. Videos circulating online show chaotic scenes and physical clashes, deepening public anger and distrust. Similar incidents—attempts to detain wounded protesters from medical facilities—have been reported in other cities as well.
Following the escalation of protests into violence in parts of Ilam Province and the reported attack by security forces on Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ilam, Masoud Pezeshkian instructed the Minister of Interior to dispatch a team to investigate “the dimensions of the incidents in Ilam, the causes of the unrest, and the manner in which it was handled,” and to submit the findings to the President’s office.
Across the country, arrests have intensified, particularly targeting young protesters, students, activists, teachers, and administrators of social media channels accused of organizing or “inciting unrest.” Police and judicial officials have announced detentions in Hamadan, Yazd, Lorestan, Tehran, and other provinces, emphasizing online surveillance. Families of detainees have begun to protest publicly, including a notable gathering of parents outside the Najafabad courthouse, where families demanded the release of detained children under the age of 20 within 24 hours, warning that they would no longer remain silent.
Universities have once again emerged as key protest centers. Demonstrations have been reported at Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, Birjand University, and other campuses. In response, authorities approved a shift to online classes for multiple major universities in Tehran, officially citing weather and energy imbalances, though many students view the move as an effort to disrupt campus mobilization.
The official response has grown increasingly hardline at the top. Ali Khamenei, in his first direct reaction to the unrest, stated that “protest is legitimate, but protest is different from riot,” adding that officials should talk to protesters but that “rioters must be put in their place.” He also attributed currency instability to “enemy interference,” reinforcing a narrative that frames the protests as both a security threat and a foreign-driven project. Senior judicial, parliamentary, and security officials echoed this stance, warning that those accused of turning protests into unrest would face decisive and uncompromising punishment, with some security bodies declaring that “the era of tolerance is over.”
At the same time, the executive branch has adopted a more cautious tone. President Masoud Pezeshkian has publicly stated that society cannot be calmed through coercive methods, warning that violent approaches risk deepening the crisis. Reformist political groups have echoed this view, arguing that mass arrests, securitized language, and repression will not resolve underlying grievances, while also rejecting foreign intervention or exploitation of the protests.
Support for the protests has broadened across civil society. Teachers’ unions and educators’ associations have issued statements backing the right to protest, condemning violence, and linking the unrest to chronic inequality, unpaid wages, and the erosion of public education. Labor and professional groups have also reported pressure, summonses, and arrests tied to protest-related activity. Civil society responses have been unusually prominent. Seventeen well-known political and civil activists, including Mostafa Tajzadeh, Narges Mohammadi, Saeed Madani, Ghorban Behzadian Nejad, Jafar Panahi and other human rights defenders, intellectuals, filmmakers, issued a joint statement declaring a peaceful transition from the Islamic Republic a “non-suppressible necessity for Iran’s future.”
The statement explicitly called on security and law enforcement forces to stand with the people, refrain from violence, and recognize their historic responsibility. Independent organizations such as the Iranian Writers’ Association and professional and student groups have also condemned the crackdown, describing the protests as an expression of deep-rooted anger over corruption, inequality, and systemic injustice.
The cultural sphere has reacted strongly. Homayoun Shajarian, one of Iran’s most prominent musicians, announced that he had canceled his European concert tour in solidarity with protesters, stating that the pain and suffering of the Iranian people made performing impossible under current conditions. Other artists and public figures have issued statements condemning violence and expressing solidarity with those killed, injured, or detained. Iranian communities abroad have staged large solidarity demonstrations, framing the unrest as a decisive moment in Iran’s contemporary history.
Human rights organizations and independent monitors report a rising death toll, with some sources indicating that more than 20 people may have been killed, alongside hundreds of injuries and widespread detentions. Internet monitoring groups and domestic media have reported deliberate slowdowns, regional disruptions, and VPN interference, particularly during peak protest hours. Due to restricted access, internet disruptions, and competing official narratives, exact figures remain difficult to independently verify, but the human toll is clearly significant and growing.
What remains uncertain is whether this protest wave will coalesce into a sustained nationwide uprising or be contained through repression and fatigue. While the movement lacks centralized leadership, its geographic spread, social diversity, and increasingly political language mark a clear escalation beyond a purely economic protest. As Iran enters a period of economic restructuring under extreme social pressure, the widening gap between public expectations and state response raises the risk that further economic shocks or deadly confrontations could trigger an even broader national crisis in the weeks ahead.