Protests spread throughout Iran in response to the country’s economic crisis.
By Nathan Morley
Iranian security forces used tear gas to disperse crowds on the twelfth day of nationwide demonstrations that began over the country’s worsening economic crisis and have since broadened into protests against the government.
According to Iran Human Rights (IHR) – an NGO – security forces opened fire, used tear gas, and assaulted civilians in the southeastern city of Kerman.
The group reported Tuesday that at least 27 protesters, including five minors, had been killed.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said the unrest has spread to 111 cities and towns across all 31 provinces.
It reported at least 34 protesters and four security personnel killed, and said authorities have arrested about 2,200 people.
Economic concerns sparked protests
The protests began on Dec. 28, when shopkeepers in Tehran took to the streets after another sharp drop in the value of the rial against the U.S. dollar.
University students soon joined, and demonstrations spread to other cities, with crowds chanting slogans against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The current wave of unrest is the most extensive since the 2022 uprising sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman who died in custody after being detained by morality police for allegedly violating hijab rules.
More than 550 people were killed and 20,000 arrested during that crackdown, according to human rights groups.
