A member of Iran's security forces was tragically killed during the fourth day of ongoing protests ignited by a significant currency collapse. According to officials, Amir Hessam Khodayari Fard lost his life in the city of Kouhdasht, located in the western Lorestan province, as reported by the judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency, citing regional chief justice Saeed Shahvari. In addition to the fatality, several other security personnel sustained injuries amid the escalating unrest.
Verified footage released by BBC Persian shows security forces firing upon protesters in Kouhdasht on the same day. Confrontations were not limited to this city; reports indicate significant unrest in the southern province of Fars and the western provinces of Hamedan and Lorestan. The Iranian authorities are clearly struggling to maintain control as protests continue to spread across the nation.
In an effort to quell the rising tide of protests, the authorities in Tehran declared Wednesday a bank holiday. This decision appeared to be a tactical move to mitigate unrest that began in the capital on Sunday. The semi-official Fars news agency further reported that a 21-year-old member of the Basij, a paramilitary force closely associated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), was also killed during the violent confrontations in Kouhdasht.
Reports indicate that thirteen police officers and Basij members were injured due to stone-throwing incidents during these protests. The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported that twenty protesters were arrested in Kouhdasht on Thursday night alone. In the southern province of Fars, tensions escalated as protesters attempted to breach a local government building, resulting in injuries to three police officers and the arrest of four individuals in the city of Fasa.
Video footage circulating on social media, verified by the BBC, depicts a crowd attempting to break into the governor's office in Fasa. The video shows security personnel responding with gunfire, while clouds of tear gas envelop the area, highlighting the chaotic atmosphere as shops remain shuttered. The Iranian government’s last-minute holiday announcement aimed at saving energy due to cold weather is widely perceived by the public as a ploy to suppress the ongoing protests.
The protests initially erupted among shopkeepers in Tehran, incensed by another sharp decline in the value of the Iranian currency against the US dollar. As the situation escalated, university students joined the demonstrations, which quickly spread to multiple cities, with protesters voicing their discontent against the nation's clerical rulers.
This latest wave of protests marks the most extensive unrest since the 2022 uprising triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in custody after being accused of improperly wearing her veil. While the current protests have not yet reached the same scale, authorities are implementing tight security measures in Tehran to prevent further escalation. President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed the government's willingness to listen to the legitimate demands of the protesters. However, prosecutor general Mohammad Movahedi-Azad has issued a stern warning that any attempts to instigate instability will be met with a decisive response.