Violent clashes between anti-government protesters and Iranian security forces were reported across the country on Wednesday as nationwide demonstrations entered their eleventh consecutive day, deepening the most serious unrest Iran has faced since the 2022 uprising sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, protests have now spread to at least 111 cities and towns across all 31 provinces. The group reported that at least 34 protesters and four members of the security forces have been killed so far, with more than 2,200 people arrested. Independent verification remains difficult, as foreign journalists are barred from reporting freely inside Iran, but footage circulating online and verified by international media points to escalating violence in multiple regions.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported that two police officers were shot and killed in the southwestern town of Lordegan, blaming “armed individuals” it described as rioters. While the report could not be independently confirmed, Lordegan has been one of several flashpoints, with earlier clashes there resulting in the deaths of protesters last week.
Videos from cities including Qazvin, Mashhad, Abadan, Bandar Abbas and Aligudarz show security forces firing live ammunition or tear gas toward crowds, while protesters throw stones and chant slogans directly targeting the regime. Chants of “Death to the dictator,” a reference to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, were heard repeatedly, alongside calls supporting the return of the exiled Pahlavi dynasty. In several locations, demonstrators were seen advancing on retreating security forces, suggesting a growing boldness among protesters.
The unrest began on December 28 in Tehran’s bazaars, where shopkeepers protested a sharp plunge in the value of the rial. The currency has continued its collapse amid soaring inflation, which has reached roughly 40 percent, exacerbated by US sanctions, mismanagement, and long-standing corruption. What began as an economic protest quickly turned political, with university students joining and demonstrations spreading nationwide.
