At least three killed as protests against Iran's economy spread

At least three people have been killed in widening protests against Iran’s worsening economy, authorities said on Thursday, as demonstrations spread outside major cities into rural provinces.

The deaths may signal the start of a heavier-handed response by Iranian authorities over the demonstrations, which have slowed in the capital, Tehran, but expanded elsewhere.

The fatalities, one on Wednesday and two on Thursday, occurred in two cities predominantly home to Iran’s Lur ethnic group.

The protests have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations.

However, the demonstrations have yet to be countrywide and have not been as intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over allegedly wearing her hijab incorrectly.

In Lordegan, a city in Iran's Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, online videos showed demonstrators gathered on a street, with the sound of gunfire in the background.

The footage matched known features of Lordegan, some 470 kilometres south of Tehran.

The semi-official Fars news agency, citing an anonymous official, said two people had been killed during the protests on Thursday.

The US-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran said two people had been killed there, identifying the dead as demonstrators.

It also shared a still image of what appeared to be an Iranian police officer, wearing body armour and wielding a shotgun.

Iran's government-run media did not immediately report on the violence in Lordegan.

In 2019, the area around Lordegan saw widespread protests, and demonstrators reportedly damaged government buildings after a report said people there had been infected with HIV by contaminated needles used at a local clinic.

A separate demonstration on Wednesday night reportedly led to the death of a 21-year-old volunteer in the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) Basij force.

The state-run IRNA news agency reported on the IRGC member’s death but did not elaborate.

An Iranian news agency called the Student News Network, which is believed to be close to the Basij force, directly blamed demonstrators for the death, citing comments from Saeed Pourali, a deputy governor in Iran's Lorestan province.

Another 13 Basij members and police officers suffered injuries, he added.

"The protests that have occurred are due to economic pressures, inflation and currency fluctuations, and are an expression of livelihood concerns," Pourali said.

"The voices of citizens must be heard carefully and tactfully, but people must not allow their demands to be strained by profit-seeking individuals."

Iran's civilian government under reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has been trying to signal it wants to negotiate with protesters.

However, Pezeshkian has acknowledged that there is not much he can do as Iran's rial currency has rapidly depreciated, with $1 now trading at around 1.4 million rials.

Meanwhile, state television separately reported on the arrests of seven people, including five it described as monarchists and two others it said had linked to European-based groups.

State TV also said another operation saw security forces confiscate 100 smuggled pistols, without elaborating.

Iran's theocracy had declared Wednesday a public holiday across much of the country, citing cold weather, likely as a bid to get people out of the capital for a long weekend.

The protests, taking root in economic issues, have heard some demonstrators chant slogans against Iran's leadership as well.