Iran protests intensify as security forces fire tear gas, opposition urges more rallies

Protests intensified across Iran as security forces fired tear gas and reportedly opened fire on demonstrators, deepening pressure on authorities under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amid economic distress

As the scale of protest intensifies in Iran, security forces use tear gas to disperse protesters. The opposition also urged the demonstrators to continue their protest as their voices should be heard by the government amid the declining economy.  

The 12 days of protests have shaken the clerical authorities under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, already battling an economic crisis after years of sanctions and recovering after the June war against Israel.

The protest originated with a shutdown on the Tehran Bazaar on December 28after the rial plunged to record flows, has spread nationwide and is now being marked by larger scale demonstrations.  

The officials have blamed the unrest on “rioters” and the judiciary chief has vowed there would be “no leniency” in bringing all of them to justice.  On Wednesday, an Iranian police officer was stabbed to death near Tehran “during efforts to control unrest”, the Iranian Fars news agency said.

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Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah ousted by the 1979 Islamic revolution and a key exiled opposition figure, said that the turnout during Wednesday’s protests had been “unprecedented” and called for major new protests Thursday evening.

He said in a message on social media he had received reports the “regime is deeply frightened and is attempting, once again, to cut off the internet” to thwart the protests.

The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said security forces on Wednesday “opened fire on protesters, used tear gas and violently assaulted civilians” during a protest in the key southeastern hub of Kerman.

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Demonstrators are repeating slogans against the clerical leadership including “this is the final battle, Pahlavi will return” and “Seyyed Ali will be toppled”, in reference to Khamenei.

It also published a video of people massing late at night in the Tehran satellite city of Karaj and lighting fires in the streets and also images of security forces using tear gas to disperse a protest in the Caspian Sea town of Tonekabon.