Iran Shuts Down as Massive Street Protests Turn Deadly

Violent unrest swept across multiple Iranian cities on Thursday as clashes between demonstrators and regime security forces turned deadly, exposing the deepening instability inside the Islamic Republic.

Unconfirmed media reports indicated that Iranian authorities opened fire on protesters in the southwestern city of Lordegan. In the western city of Kuhdasht, at least one member of the regime’s security forces was killed and 13 others were wounded, according to Reuters.

The demonstrations, driven largely by economic desperation, erupted in Tehran on Sunday and quickly spread nationwide, the BBC reported. Observers described the unrest as the largest wave of protests Iran has seen since 2022 — a clear sign that public anger toward the ruling clerical regime is once again reaching a boiling point.

In response, the government moved aggressively to suppress daily life. On Wednesday, authorities ordered the closure of businesses, universities, and government offices, according to The New York Times. The shutdown affected 21 of Iran’s 31 provinces and followed rampant inflation that forced the regime to replace the head of Iran’s central bank in a bid to calm public outrage.

Beyond soaring prices, persistent water shortages and deteriorating living conditions have pushed broad segments of Iranian society into the streets. During one protest in the city of Hamedan, demonstrators openly chanted, “Death to the dictator,” underscoring the depth of hostility toward the ruling establishment.

Regime officials, meanwhile, attempted to deflect blame. In a statement, authorities accused “Zionist media outlets and figures” of “aiming to divert the people’s demands and turn the protests into chaos and riots.”

Iran’s prosecutor general, Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, acknowledged that “peaceful livelihood protests” arise from “social and understandable realities.” However, he issued a blunt warning, stating that if demonstrations undermine security, damage public property, or follow “externally designed scenarios,” participants would face “a legal, proportionate and decisive response.”

Analysts say the unrest reflects years of pent-up frustration that the regime has failed to address.

“The recent protests were not the result of a sudden incident, but the accumulation of sustained pressure over time — something the authorities clearly anticipated,” said Omid Memarian, a senior Iran analyst at Dawn, a Washington-based nonprofit.

He added that the government’s sweeping shutdowns are an attempt to ease tensions, but warned they are unlikely to succeed.

“The government’s decision to impose widespread shutdowns is an attempt to lower social tensions,” he said. “But with no real solutions to the worsening economic crisis, and no credible path out of it, such measures cannot contain public anger. The frustration runs far deeper than temporary restrictions can address,” he said.