Iran's streets have erupted in widespread protests over the past 24 hours, driven by deepening economic despair. Demonstrators in multiple provinces took to the roads, voicing fury against the regime amid a plummeting national currency that has reached historic lows.

These gatherings, initially peaceful, quickly escalated into violent clashes with security forces, marking the most significant unrest since the nationwide demonstrations of 2022.

The flashpoint in Lordegan county, located in the southwestern Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, saw at least two fatalities during confrontations between dozens of protesters and police.

State-affiliated Fars News Agency reported the deaths but provided no clarity on whether the victims were demonstrators or security personnel. Unverified videos circulating online captured protesters hurling stones at uniformed officers, fuelling the chaos.

Protesters targeted symbols of authority, including the governor's office, banks, and other state buildings, according to Fars. The agency alleged that armed "disturbers" infiltrated the crowds, exploiting the economic grievances to sow disorder. Authorities claimed to have seized firearms from several individuals, though no independent verification has emerged.

In the western Lorestan province, the violence turned deadly earlier on Thursday night in the city of Azna. At least three people lost their lives, and 17 others sustained injuries after demonstrators overran a police station. Fars detailed how protesters clashed with officers, pelted them with stones, and set vehicles ablaze, intensifying the standoff.

The earliest reported death occurred on Wednesday evening in Kuhdasht, also in Lorestan province. A member of Iran's Basij paramilitary force was killed, with 13 others wounded in the skirmishes. State media broadcast footage of a police officer receiving treatment after allegedly being set alight by protesters, underscoring the ferocity of the encounters.

The Basij, a volunteer militia loyal to the regime, plays a pivotal role in suppressing dissent. Its deployment signals Tehran's determination to restore order swiftly. In Kuhdasht alone, prosecutors announced the detention of 20 individuals on Thursday, as reported by state-run Tasnim News Agency.

Further afield, in Malard county west of Tehran, officials arrested 30 people for "disturbing public order." County official Mansour Saleki stated that the detainees had misused the "lawful right to protest," with several travelling from neighbouring areas. Fars quoted Saleki emphasising that investigations revealed coordinated elements among the arrested.

Shop owners, bazaar traders, and university students have swelled the ranks of demonstrators across several cities.

Chants against the government echo demands for relief from economic hardship, as inflation soars and basic goods become unaffordable. This broad coalition reflects a rare unity cutting across social divides.

These events evoke the mass protests of 2022, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody over headscarf violations. That uprising paralysed the nation for months, exposing deep-seated grievances. The current unrest, though narrower in scope, indicates simmering discontent refusing to fade.

Iran's supreme leader, facing a fragile economy battered by sanctions and mismanagement, resorts to familiar repression tactics. The regime's response—deploying Basij forces, making mass arrests, and labelling protesters as "disturbers"—mirrors past crackdowns. Yet, each cycle of violence only amplifies public alienation.

The United States has weighed in sharply. The State Department expressed alarm on X over reports of intimidation, violence, and arrests targeting protesters. In a Farsi-language post, it highlighted the spreading unrest: "First the bazaars. Then the students. Now the entire country. Iranians stand together. Different lives, one demand: respect our voices and our rights."

Though spontaneous and uncoordinated, these protests reclaim public spaces incrementally. Citizens, weary of economic collapse, assert personal freedoms through acts of defiance. The regime's heavy-handed tactics risk radicalising more participants, potentially transforming limited flare-ups into a broader challenge to its authority.

As night falls across Iran, security forces maintain a heightened presence, with internet restrictions likely curbing information flow. Independent journalists face barriers, leaving state media as the primary lens—often biased towards portraying protesters as foreign-instigated agitators. The death toll may climb, and international scrutiny intensifies.

For Tehran, the stakes could not be higher. Economic woes, compounded by regional isolation, erode the regime's legitimacy. If protests persist, they threaten to expose fractures within the power structure, forcing uncomfortable choices between concession and escalation.

Based On ANI Report