Protests across Iran turned deadly on December 31 as demonstrations over the plummeting rial and rising living costs spread to at least 17 of the country’s 31 provinces, with security forces using live ammunition in some locations and government buildings in several cities targeted by crowds.
Rights groups and monitoring organizations recorded dozens of demonstrations that day, and the unrest reached the holy city of Qom — a symbolic stronghold of Iran’s clerical establishment. Authorities responded with water cannons, arrests and a heavier security presence; state media reported at least one member of the Basij paramilitary killed and multiple people wounded in clashes.
Officials described the unrest as driven by economic hardship, pointing to the rial’s record lows, rising inflation and increasing living costs. President Masoud Pezeshkian called for national unity and blamed external pressures for economic strain, while promising dialogue and acknowledging the right to peaceful assembly. Iran’s top prosecutor warned of a decisive response if protests turned violent or threatened public order.
Protesters’ chants shifted beyond economic grievances in many locations, with slogans openly criticizing clerical rule and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Demonstrators in several cities were reported to have used slogans calling for regime change and referencing opposition figures and historical symbols.
Security forces used varied tactics to disperse crowds. Reports indicate live ammunition was fired in smaller cities and rural areas, including Fasa and Kuhdasht, where the government has less control, while water cannon and mass arrests were reported in Hamedan, Arak and Fars Province. In Isfahan Province state media and local reports said at least one protester was shot dead, with other fatalities alleged in nearby areas.
Human rights organizations reported numerous arrests across multiple provinces and said several detained protesters had been transferred to prisons including Evin. The Intelligence Ministry reported detentions of people it said were linked to opposition figures, while universities were ordered to shift to remote learning, officially for cold weather, a step analysts said appeared intended to limit student mobilization.
Political implications were swift: Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi as deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a move observers view as preparing to manage domestic unrest. Vahidi has previously faced international sanctions for roles tied to protest crackdowns.
The demonstrations come against a backdrop of sustained economic pressure on Iran — long-running sanctions, renewed international penalties, currency collapse, and shortages of water and energy — and follow large nationwide protests in 2022–2023 after the death of Mahsa Amini. Those earlier protests produced mass arrests and a heavy security crackdown; analysts warn that widespread economic protests can quickly evolve into broader political demands.
International reactions included appeals for support for demonstrators from some foreign officials and expressions of concern from human rights advocates. Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi said she hoped 2026 would mark a turning point, while urging attention to alleged executions and repression in the prior year.
At the local level, footage and eyewitness accounts circulated of clashes, pro-monarchy chants in some cities and protesters calling for an end to clerical rule. Opposition groups remain fragmented — including monarchists, secularists, leftists and reformists — and analysts note no single opposition faction currently dominates the movement.
Government officials said they would pursue dialogue where possible but also warned of firm action if protests became violent. The unfolding situation remains fluid: analysts, rights groups and local monitors continue to track demonstrations, casualties and arrests as authorities and protesters confront one another across multiple provinces.