Paris, France: Iran witnessed its largest protests in nearly two weeks on Thursday as demonstrators intensified pressure on the clerical leadership, even as authorities imposed a nationwide internet blackout and reports of deaths from a crackdown continued to mount. 

The unrest, which began with a shutdown of Tehran’s historic bazaar on December 28 after the rial plunged to record lows, has since spread across the country. What started as economic anger has now evolved into widespread, coordinated street protests, including large gatherings in the capital.

Economic crisis and war aftermath fuel unrest

The protests pose a serious challenge to authorities led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who are already grappling with a deep economic crisis caused by years of sanctions and the fallout from the June war against Israel.

US President Donald Trump warned Tehran on Thursday that Washington would take severe action if Iranian authorities “start killing people”, saying the US would “hit them very hard”.

Rising death toll and allegations of shootings

The warning followed allegations by rights groups that Iranian security forces are firing on demonstrators. Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said on Thursday that at least 45 protesters, including eight minors, had been killed since the demonstrations began.

According to the group, Wednesday marked the deadliest day so far, with 13 confirmed deaths.

“The evidence shows that the scope of the crackdown is becoming more violent and more extensive every day,” said IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, adding that hundreds had been wounded and more than 2,000 people arrested.

Iranian media and official statements, however, have reported at least 21 deaths, including members of the security forces, according to an AFP tally. On Wednesday, an Iranian police officer was killed west of Tehran while trying “to control unrest”, the Fars news agency reported.

Protests continue despite crackdown

Despite the tightening security response, protests continued into Thursday night. Verified social media images showed a large crowd gathering on Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard in north-west Tehran, while separate footage showed demonstrations in the western city of Abadan.

As unrest spread across multiple cities, internet monitoring group Netblocks said “live metrics show Iran is now in the midst of a nationwide internet blackout”.

Protests reported across all provinces

With demonstrations spreading, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said rallies had taken place in 348 locations across all 31 of Iran’s provinces.

Exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, son of the shah ousted in the 1979 Islamic revolution, called for larger protests on Thursday. Iranian Kurdish opposition parties based in Iraq also urged a general strike in Kurdish-majority areas of western Iran.

The Hengaw rights group said the strike was widely observed in around 30 towns and cities, sharing footage of shuttered shops in Ilam, Kermanshah and Lorestan provinces. It accused authorities of firing on protesters in Kermanshah and the nearby town of Kamyaran, injuring several people.

IHR reported that a woman protesting in Abadan late on Wednesday was shot directly in the eye.

Calls for restraint and international reaction

President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday urged “utmost restraint” in dealing with the demonstrations, stating that “any violent or coercive behaviour should be avoided”.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul condemned what he described as the “excessive use of force” against protesters.

In a video verified by AFP, protesters in Kuhchenar in southern Fars province were seen cheering overnight as they pulled down a statue of Qassem Soleimani, the former foreign operations commander of the Revolutionary Guards killed in a US strike in January 2020.

Slogans, student unrest and past parallels

Demonstrators have been chanting slogans against the clerical leadership, including “Pahlavi will return” and “Seyyed Ali will be toppled”, referring to Ayatollah Khamenei.

The movement has also reached universities. Final examinations at Tehran’s Amir Kabir University have been postponed for a week, according to the ISNA news agency.

The current unrest is the largest since the 2022–2023 protests triggered by the custody death of Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.

Rights groups have further accused authorities of raiding hospitals to arrest injured protesters. “Iran’s security forces have injured and killed both protesters and bystanders,” Amnesty International said, accusing them of using “unlawful force”.