Overview
- Demonstrations that began with shopkeepers over a currency crash have entered a fifth and sixth day and spread from Tehran to provinces including Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and Isfahan, with students at multiple universities joining.
- State media named a 21-year-old Basij member, Amirhossam Khodayari Fard, as killed in Kuhdasht, while Fars reported three deaths in Azna and two in Lordegan; rights groups cited additional fatalities in Isfahan/Fooladshahr, and overall tallies remain contested.
- Officials have paired offers of dialogue with a security rollout that included tear gas, arrests and a midweek nationwide holiday, with Lorestan authorities reporting 13 injured security personnel and at least 20 detentions in Kuhdasht.
- The rial is trading around 1.4–1.45 million per U.S. dollar on the unofficial market and inflation has been reported in the 40–52% range, sharply reducing purchasing power and intensifying public anger.
- U.S. President Donald Trump warned he is “locked and loaded” to respond if peaceful protesters are killed, adding international scrutiny to Iran’s most significant unrest since 2022.