The wave of protests across Iran intensified on Wednesday night, marking the fourth day of a popular uprising against the country's severe economic crisis and the freefall of the Rial (the official currency of Iran).
Video: An Iranian police officer attacked by Molotov cocktail / Social media
هم اکنون، خیابان عباسآباد #اراک pic.twitter.com/VGPGQ6tqxo
— ائتلاف ۱۰ ꪜ ? (@etelaf10) December 31, 2025
Thousands of demonstrators have flooded the streets in dozens of cities – spanning from Tehran and Isfahan to small towns in remote provinces. Security forces and the Basij (a paramilitary volunteer militia used for internal security) have responded with brutal force, deploying live ammunition, water cannons, and carrying out mass arrests.
فولادشهر؛ «جاوید شاه» pic.twitter.com/HnaMpobvkC
— اتاق خبر منوتو (@ManotoNews) December 31, 2025
Demonstrators have mobilized in dozens of cities nationwide to protest the crushing economic downturn. Security forces and the Basij militia have met the crowds with a heavy hand. In Kuhdasht, located in Lorestan province, a Basij member was killed – marking the first officially confirmed fatality from the regime's ranks.
طلاب جامعة بهشتي خرجوا الآن ويهتفون بالموت للديكتاتور (خامنئي) pic.twitter.com/OPBOZjqCoV
— Mohamad Ahwaze (@MohamadAhwaze) December 31, 2025
? BREAKING NEWS – HAMEDAN | IRAN
According to local reports, a group of residents in Hamedan entered a site alleged to be linked to an intelligence service and freed a number of detainees. pic.twitter.com/zmhV3sKDSG
— Niyak Ghorbani (نیاک) (@GhorbaniiNiyak) December 31, 2025
A particularly violent escalation was recorded in Fasa, within Fars province, where protesters seized control of the city center, stormed the governor's headquarters and a local jail, and liberated several detainees under a hail of live fire from security forces. Cries of "Death to Khamenei" and "Death to the dictator" echoed through the streets as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attempted to calm the public by promising to stabilize the economy. The unrest has been fueled by the collapse of the Rial – which has shed nearly 50% of its value this year – and an inflation rate exceeding 40%.
