Deadly protests over Iran’s acute economic crisis marked by the rial’s collapse to over 1.4 million per dollar, rampant inflation exceeding 40%, subsidy cuts on fuel and food, and mass unemployment have engulfed multiple provinces including Tehran, Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Isfahan, and Fars since 29 December 2025, now in their fifth day with at least six confirmed deaths, dozens injured, and widespread shutdowns.

Fars News Agency details two protester deaths in Lordegan (named Jalil Saj Valaman and others by rights group Hengaw), three in Azna including a child, one Basij paramilitary killed and 13 wounded in Kuhdasht; authorities allege armed demonstrators fired on police and stormed buildings, countered by social media videos of stone-throwing crowds facing tear gas.

President Masoud Pezeshkian validates “legitimate economic demands,” pledges dialogue, central bank overhaul, and reforms while vowing firm action against violence; no independent toll verification exists amid internet curbs.​

Surge in Violence and Human Toll

The unrest peaked Thursday in Lordegan county, southwestern Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, where early morning clashes left two dead protesters according to Hengaw and BBC monitoring, though Fars News refrained from specifying civilians versus forces.

Demonstrators, enraged by daily hardships, reportedly pelted the governor’s office, banks, and municipal structures with stones, with state media claiming some wielded firearms, unsupported by evidence; circulating videos depict helmeted police retreating under barrages while firing warning shots and deploying irritants.

In Lorestan’s Kuhdasht, Wednesday night’s melee claimed Basij member Mohammad Rezaei’s life and injured 13 colleagues, per official accounts, marking the first security death; Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad labelled the attacks “premeditated,” urging citizens to shun “rioters.”

Azna saw further tragedy with three fatalities, including a young boy, as forces opened fire on crowds blocking roads, Hengaw reported. Nationwide, arrests tally over 50, including union leaders in Tehran, amid bazaar strikes where merchants shuttered shops in solidarity, chanting against corruption and mismanagement.​

Roots in Economic Meltdown and Broader Discontent

Sparked 29 December by Tehran’s Grand Bazaar closure the epicentre of Iran’s informal economy protests snowballed as the rial plummeted, inflating essentials: bread prices doubled, fuel queues stretched kilometres post-subsidy hikes, and youth unemployment hit 25%.

Vendors in Marvdasht and students in Isfahan joined, torching tyres and effigies of officials, demanding systemic overhaul amid U.S.-led sanctions crippling oil exports. Preceding strikes in Bandar Abbas ports highlighted supply chain woes, while rural Lorestan farmers decried water shortages exacerbating poverty.

Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani announced ministerial panels for direct protester talks, echoing Pezeshkian’s televised address blaming “external foes” yet committing to replace Central Bank Governor Mohammad Reza Farzin and inject liquidity.

Internet slowdowns, justified as countering “disinformation,” have hampered live coverage, though smuggled clips reveal women-led marches invoking past uprisings like 2022’s Mahsa Amini protests. Economists link the volatility to 2025’s failed nuclear talks revival and regional wars draining reserves.​

The Logical Indian’s Perspective

Iran’s streets echo a universal cry for dignity amid despair governments must heed such voices with urgent, empathetic reforms rather than suppression, as violence only perpetuates cycles of grief and alienation, undermining harmony and coexistence.

The Logical Indian celebrates Pezeshkian’s dialogue pledge as a step toward kindness and accountability, urging transparent aid distribution, subsidy recalibration, and inclusive economic planning to empower citizens and foster positive transformation.