Overview
- Protests ignited on December 28 after a rapid rial collapse began with traders at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and spread to residents in major cities and smaller towns across 27 of 31 provinces.
- Security forces have used force and tear gas to disperse crowds, with arrests and deaths reported under tight information controls and internet blackouts.
- Reported fatalities diverge sharply, with HRANA citing more than 2,500 dead and Iran International claiming at least 12,000, figures that have not been independently verified.
- Maryam Rajavi and the NCRI/MEK assert they lead an organized resistance and outline a transition plan featuring a provisional government and elections for a Constituent Assembly within six months of regime change.
- Monarchist slogans have grown more prominent and Reza Pahlavi has gained visibility, underscoring deepening rifts among anti-regime groups and competing visions for Iran’s future.