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At least six people were reported killed on Thursday as demonstrators clashed with security forces in several Iranian cities.
This marks the first fatalities since nationwide cost-of-living demonstrations began.
The protests began on Sunday in Tehran after shopkeepers shut their businesses to protest soaring prices and economic stagnation, before spreading to other regions.
Students from at least 10 universities joined the demonstrations earlier this week.
Iran’s Fars news agency reported that two people were killed in the city of Lordegan, in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, and three others died in Azna, in neighbouring Lorestan province.
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In Lordegan, demonstrators were said to have pelted government buildings, including the governor’s office, a mosque, the Martyrs’ Foundation, the town hall, and several banks, prompting police to respond with tear gas.
Several buildings were also severely damaged, and multiple individuals described as ringleaders were arrested.
In Azna, Fars, it was said that attackers targeted a police station during a protest gathering. Iranian state media has repeatedly referred to demonstrators as “rioters” during past protest movements.
Earlier on Thursday, state television confirmed that a member of Iran’s security forces was killed overnight in Kouhdasht, also in Lorestan province. A provincial official said the 21-year-old Basij member died while trying to maintain public order.
Thirteen police officers and Basij personnel were also reportedly injured by stone-throwing during the unrest.
Elsewhere, demonstrators in the western city of Hamedan set fire to a motorbike in what the state-linked Tasnim News Agency described as a failed attempt to torch a mosque.
Tasnim also reported that 30 people were arrested overnight in a district of Tehran during a coordinated security operation over alleged public order violations.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has sought to defuse tensions, acknowledging that demonstrators have a legitimate right to protest. He also urged his government to act swiftly to improve living conditions.
Speaking at an event broadcast on state television, he warned that failure to address people’s livelihoods would have severe consequences.
Authorities, however, have also vowed a firm response to the unrest. Iran’s prosecutor general said peaceful economic protests were lawful but warned that attempts to exploit demonstrations to create insecurity or damage public property would be met with decisive legal action.
Coverage of the protests has varied across local media, with some outlets highlighting economic hardship while others focused on violence attributed to “troublemakers.”
