A minimum of 36 protestors have been killed in Iran and over 2,000 others have been detained by regime forces as widespread demonstrations proceed for the twelfth day in a row, in keeping with the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Iranians in over 100 cities and cities throughout the nation have taken to the streets, shouting slogans towards the regime and demanding larger rights within the largest protests difficult the regime for the reason that “Girl, Life, Freedom” motion in 2022 and 2023, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
Demonstrators have been calling for the Iranian regime’s downfall and systemic change as a primary step to reclaiming freedom and dignity.
Protesters march in downtown Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 29, 2025.
Fars Information Company through AP
Escalating the present protests is a call from Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled, U.S.-based son of the previous shah of Iran, himself deposed and exiled throughout the 1979 Iranian Islamic Revolution, to “begin chanting slogans” Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m. native time.
“Based mostly in your response, I’ll announce the subsequent calls to motion,” Pahlavi stated.
As protestors answered Pahlavi’s name Thursday night time, web and phone entry throughout Iran was minimize, in keeping with the Related Press.
Galloping inflation seemed to be the preliminary set off of this spherical of protests in Tehran that began on Dec. 28. Nevertheless, the main focus quickly expanded beyond financial grievances, with protestors using slogans like “loss of life to dictator” and “loss of life to Khamenei,” referring to Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the supreme chief of Iran’s Islamic Republic regime.
Teams of protestors made up of college college students, girls and ethnic minorities, together with individuals from Kurdish and Turkish ethnicities, have regularly joined the protests from throughout the nation since then.
Most Iranians battle to maintain up with the continuously rising costs within the nation because of the speedy fall of the rial, which declined in worth from 34,000 rials towards the U.S. greenback in July 2016 to 165,000 rials towards the greenback in Could 2020. Its worth has plummeted greater than 800% since then and stands round 1,500,000 rials towards the greenback as of this week.
Protesters march in downtown Tehran, Iran, Dec. 29, 2025.
Fars Information Company through AP
The Islamic Republic safety forces raided a hospital in Ilam, a western metropolis of the nation and one of many epicenters of protests, in keeping with HRANA. A number of of the individuals injured in protests had been taken to the hospital, in keeping with the company.
Shopkeepers and merchants protest on the street towards the financial situations and Iran’s embattled foreign money in Tehran, on Dec. 29, 2025.
Fars Information Company through AFP through Getty Photos
An eyewitness who was within the Ilam hospital throughout the raid instructed ABC Information that he noticed safety forces taking away at the very least one of many injured protestors. He added that safety forces additionally needed to take away the our bodies of victims who had been killed within the protests, which had been taken to the hospital.
Amnesty Iran, the Iranian arm of Amnesty Worldwide, condemned the assault on the hospital and said the regime should “instantly cease using illegal drive towards protesters.”
The U.S. State Division additionally criticized the hospital assault, posting on X that “the brutal assault by the Islamic Republic regime on a hospital in Ilam is against the law.”
“The raid on wards, the beating of medical employees, and the assault on the injured with tear fuel and dwell ammunition is a blatant crime towards humanity. Hospitals are usually not battlefields,” the publish additional stated.
This video seize taken on Jan. 4, 2026 present protesters within the Malekshahi district of Iran’s western Ilam province. New lethal clashes between protesters and safety forces erupted in Iran over the weekend, rights teams and native media stated Jan. 4, 2025, as demonstrations first sparked by anger over the rising value of residing entered a second week.
UGC through AFP through Getty Photos
In an try and appease the protestors, the Iranian Minister of Labor and Social Welfare introduced that every one Iranian residents contained in the nation will obtain a money handout of 10 million rials, which is just below $7 U.S. {dollars} at present change charges. Iranians had been instructed that they will use the allowance to buy primary meals objects — a declaration that was extensively mocked by protestors.
