Protests have swept Iran for nearly a week starting late December 2025, beginning with shopkeepers in Tehran striking over the plummeting currency and spreading to provinces like Fars, Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and Kermanshah. Demonstrators faced brutal crackdowns from security forces, with at least 10 deaths reported over six days, including protesters shot in multiple
Protests have swept Iran for nearly a week starting late December 2025, beginning with shopkeepers in Tehran striking over the plummeting currency and spreading to provinces like Fars, Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and Kermanshah. Demonstrators faced brutal crackdowns from security forces, with at least 10 deaths reported over six days, including protesters shot in multiple provinces. The unrest stems from Iran’s economy in freefall due to sanctions, soaring inflation, currency devaluation, and ongoing crises like water and energy shortages, worsened by the June 2025 war with Israel involving U.S. strikes that killed over 1,000, including military leaders and nuclear scientists, and damaged nuclear facilities.Iranian leaders projected unity but blamed external forces, with Ali Larijani alleging Israel and the U.S. stoked the protests without evidence, and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf declaring U.S. bases legitimate targets in response to threats. President Masoud Pezeshkian attempted to take responsibility for economic woes, suggesting meetings with protesters and admitting dissatisfaction was the regime’s fault. The capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, a Tehran ally, further incensed Iranian elites, who labeled the U.S. operation state terrorism.President Trump issued a stern warning on Truth Social, stating that if Iran violently kills peaceful protesters, the United States will intervene, and threatening to “knock the hell out of” Iran if it rebuilds its nuclear program or expands ballistic missiles. Analysts note underlying discontent with regime corruption and lack of reform, with the protests’ fate depending on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s response, who has remained silent publicly.The demonstrations highlight growing cracks in the Islamic Republic’s grip, with remote cities joining Tehran in defiance amid a tailspin economy and international isolation.
