Video shows violent clashes as protests in Iran spread to more areas

Violent clashes broke out between anti-government protesters and security forces in multiple locations in Iran on Wednesday, as a wave of unrest triggered by the country’s economic crisis continued for its 11th day.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, which has close ties to the Revolutionary Guards, said two police officers were shot dead by armed men in the southwestern town of Lodgan.

Videos posted on social media showed tense confrontations between protesters and security forces, with gunfire in the background.

In videos from several other areas, security forces appeared to fire fire and tear gas at crowds of protesters, some of whom were throwing rocks.

According to the Human Rights Activities News Agency (HRANA), the protests have so far spread to 111 cities and towns in 31 provinces across the country.

According to reports, at least 34 protesters and four security personnel were killed during the riots, and 2,200 protesters were arrested.

BBC Persian has confirmed the deaths and identities of 21 people, while Iranian authorities reported the deaths of five security personnel.

The protests began on December 28, when shopkeepers took to the streets of the capital, Tehran, to express anger at another sharp drop in the value of Iran’s currency, the rial, against the U.S. dollar on the open market.

The rial has fallen to record lows over the past year and inflation has soared to 40% as sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program squeeze an economy also weakened by government mismanagement and corruption.

University students soon joined the protests, which began to spread to other cities, and crowds were often heard chanting slogans against the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and sometimes in support of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s late former king.

Wednesday, Video verified by BBC Persian shows crowds protesting in QazvinIn northwest Tehran, people chanted slogans including “Death to the dictator,” referring to Khamenei, and “Long live the king.”

Shots from Bandar Abbas Gulf Portshowed protesters chanting “Police force, support, support” before security forces dispersed them.

In the Shia holy city of Mashhad in the northwest of the country, Protesters were seen clashing with security forces and forcing them to retreat. Another video showed people chanting in support of the Pahlavi dynasty that was overthrown by the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

late afternoon, Large-scale demonstrations also took place in the southwestern city of AbadanAccording to footage verified by BBC Persian, protesters chanted “Cannons, tanks, firecrackers! The mullahs must be lost,” referring to Iran’s clerical leadership.

More footage taken from city balconies appears to show Security forces open fire as they evade advancing protesterswho was throwing stones and other objects.

As night falls, Security forces filmed firing tear gas to break up protest in AligudarzIn another western city, crowds gathered in the square and shouted “Long live the people’s uprising!”

The video also appeared Protesters in Qamiyeh, Fars governorate, toppled statue of Qasem SoleimaniThe leader of the elite Quds Force and one of Iran’s most powerful figures, he was killed in a 2020 U.S. airstrike ordered by Donald Trump.

In Lodgen, two police officers were killed during Wednesday’s protests, Fars reported.

The statement added that the two policemen were shot dead by “armed men” known as “rioters”, identified as Hadi Azhar Salim and Muslim Mahdavi Nasab.

The report could not be immediately verified as the BBC and other independent international media are either not allowed to report from inside Iran or, even if permitted, face severe restrictions on their operations.

However, Lodgan has been the scene of violent clashes during the unrest, with two protesters killed there last Thursday.

After a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Vice President for Administration Mohamed Jafar Kampana said President Masoud Pezeshkian had ordered that “security measures” not be taken against peaceful protesters.

He added: “Those who carry guns, knives and machetes and attack police stations and military sites are thugs and we must distinguish between protesters and thugs.”

State media also reported that the government had started paying a new monthly stipend equivalent to $7 (£5) to its 71 million citizens to ease the pain of high living costs.

Meanwhile, the head of the judiciary, Gholam Hussein Mohseni Eji, told police commanders that “rioters” would face “swift” prosecution and punishment to serve as a deterrent.

As Iran’s supreme leader, Khamenei has ultimate power in Iran. He said on Saturday that authorities should “talk to the protesters” but “thugs should be put in their place”.

His comments came after Trump threatened to intervene if Iranian security forces killed peaceful protesters, saying: “We’re loaded.”

Dr Sanan Wakil, director of the Middle East program at London-based think tank Chatham House, told the BBC that the protests quickly became politicized and were driven by deep-seated public anger.

“People are fed up. They have no prospects for the future. Daily life has become more difficult,” she said.

“If there is more momentum, if more people come forward, (the protests) will become more severe and, of course, the government response will become more violent.”

Sadegh Zibakalam, a professor of political science at the University of Tehran, said Iranian authorities may resist a harsher crackdown because of Trump’s threats.

He told the BBC: “Some Iranian leaders – Revolutionary Guard commanders and security forces – may be a little more cautious and not rush to crack down on the crowds this time, fearing that it might provoke US intervention.”

They were the most widespread protests since the 2022 uprising sparked by the death in custody of a young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, who was allegedly detained by moral police for not wearing a headscarf correctly.

Security forces violently suppressed these protests, killing more than 550 people and detaining 20,000 people, according to human rights groups.