Overview
- At least 16 people have been killed and about 582 arrested during the week of unrest, according to HRANA, with Hengaw reporting a slightly higher death count and focusing on casualties in minority areas.
- Rights groups say four Kurdish protesters were shot dead in Malekshahi, Ilam province, as confrontations intensified in western regions while Tehran saw smaller, sporadic gatherings.
- A movement sparked by a Tehran bazaar strike over soaring prices has spread to dozens of cities across more than 20 provinces, with chants targeting the clerical leadership.
- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called protesters’ economic complaints “just” yet warned that “rioters must be put in their place,” as officials paired talk of dialogue with forceful crackdowns.
- President Donald Trump warned the U.S. is “locked and loaded” if protesters are killed, prompting Iranian threats against U.S. forces and a formal complaint to the UN, as the rial hovers near 1.4 million per dollar and inflation remains high.