Iran's judiciary leadership issued threats of enhanced repression and criminal charges against protesters on Wednesday as demonstrations and commercial strikes spread across the nation's major urban centers, The New York Times reported.
Commercial districts in Tabriz, Isfahan, Mashhad, and Kerman witnessed widespread closures as merchants protested deteriorating economic conditions and currency devaluation, confirmed through social media documentation, witness testimonies, and Iranian news sources. These marketplaces represent more than retail spaces – they embody economic health, much like Western financial exchanges.
Burning the statue of Ghassem Soleimani, Kashan. Knocking down the Supreme Leader's image in Ilam. Tearing down the National flag in Iran's second city Mashhad. All acts that would get you killed on the spot a few days ago. Now images celebrated.
Welcome to #IranRevolution2026 pic.twitter.com/JnzgfVUkbn— Omid Djalili (@omid9) January 8, 2026
The capital's historic commercial quarter, ground zero for the current protest wave, remained shuttered through its 11th consecutive day. Security personnel attacked assembled merchants and workers with tear gas and physical violence in the district's narrow passageways, according to two business proprietors who spoke anonymously with The New York Times, fearing official retribution.
City authorities declared the indefinite closure of the metro station serving the commercial district, a crucial transit point. Officials deployed tear gas inside the enclosed subway terminal on Tuesday, scattering both transit users and demonstration participants, both merchants confirmed.
The city of Karaj, the population of which is 1.5 million people (just over 50% Persian, with Azerbaijanis making up about 30%) has fallen to the protesters. This is the third city, and by far the largest, that the regime has lost control of.
One of Iran's industrial centers,… pic.twitter.com/KCKbY0MQ5l
— Mike (@Doranimated) January 7, 2026
Riot police on motorcycles chased crowds throughout Tehran and additional municipalities, beating demonstrators, as captured in footage aired on social platforms. Several videos documented security forces discharging firearms toward crowds, while other recordings captured audible shooting. Shiraz streets were lined with military checkpoints and armored vehicles.
Judiciary head Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i and security commander Gen. Ahmad Reza Radan delivered contrasting messages to Iranian media, promising harsh measures against demonstrators, The New York Times reported. State media quoted General Radan declaring: "We promise the Iranian nation that these people will be identified at any time and in any place, and will be prosecuted and punished until the last person is arrested."
Footage captured across multiple cities documented crowds shouting "Death to the dictator," and "Freedom, freedom, freedom," and "Don't be afraid, we are all together." Demonstrators in numerous locations demanded the conclusion of the Islamic Republic's nearly half-century rule, with protesters denouncing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei while chanting, "Khamenei is a murderer, his rule is void."
Human Rights Activists News Agency, a Washington-based monitoring group, documented 36 fatalities including four minors and two security personnel, alongside more than 2,000 detentions.
Revolutionary Guards-affiliated outlet Tasnim characterized demonstrations in western provinces with Kurdish and Lur communities as coordinated violent uprisings, alleging participants possessed firearms, bladed weapons, and improvised explosives. Approximately 600 security personnel including undercover Basij forces sustained injuries during confrontations, Tasnim claimed.
