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Protesters denounced the Iranian authorities and staged strike actions on Thursday in a new wave of demonstrations that have spread across the Islamic Republic, as rights groups accused security forces of shooting at people in several locations.
Twelve days of protests have shaken the clerical authorities under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, already battling an economic crisis after years of sanctions and recovering from the June war against Israel.
The movement, which originated with a shutdown on the Tehran bazaar on December 28 after the rial plunged to record lows, has spread nationwide and is now being marked by larger-scale demonstrations.
Authorities have blamed unrest on “rioters”, and the judiciary chief has vowed there would be “no leniency” in bringing them to justice.
On Wednesday, an Iranian police officer was stabbed to death west of Tehran “during efforts to control unrest”, the Iranian Fars news agency said.
Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah, ousted by the 1979 Islamic revolution and a key exiled opposition figure, said the turnout on Wednesday had been “unprecedented” in this wave of demonstrations and called for major new protests later in the day.
Iraq-based Iranian Kurdish opposition parties, including the Komala party, which is outlawed by Tehran, called for a general strike on Thursday in Kurdish-populated areas in western Iran, which have seen intense protest activity.
The protests are being characterised by larger-scale demonstrations, with images posted on social media showing a big crowd again demonstrating in Abadan on Thursday.
Demonstrators are repeating slogans against the clerical leadership, including “this is the final battle, Pahlavi will return” and “Seyyed Ali will be toppled”, in reference to Khamenei.
Local media and official statements have reported at least 21 people, including security forces, killed since the unrest began.
The movement has also spread to universities, and final exams at a major university in Tehran, the Amir Kabir University, have been postponed for a week, according to the ISNA news agency.
The protests are the biggest in Iran for three years after the last major protest wave in 2022-2023, which was sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women.
