LIVE: Iran Protests Updates

• Iran has seen a wide wave of nationwide protests in the past 10 days. The unrest started on December 28, 2025, and continued with a general strike by people in Kurdistan on Thursday. These protests have become one of the biggest internal challenges for the Islamic Republic of Iran since the protests of autumn 2022.
• The first spark of the protests began in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar. Shopkeepers gathered to protest against high prices, economic slowdown, and the loss of their buying power. Very quickly, the protests moved beyond economic demands, and in many cities, the slogans changed into direct opposition to the Islamic government.
• According to published reports, the protests have spread to more than 285 locations in at least 92 cities and 27 out of 31 provinces in the country. Cities from Tehran and Mashhad in the north and northeast, to western provinces like Ilam, Lorestan, and Kermanshah, as well as southern areas such as Bushehr and Fars, have seen protest gatherings. Students, workers, and shopkeepers are reported as the main groups taking part in these protests.
• The economic crisis is seen as the main reason for public anger. The value of the rial has fallen to around 1.4 million rials per one US dollar, inflation has reached about 50 percent, and the effects of the 12-day war with Israel, along with ongoing international sanctions, have put heavy pressure on Iran’s economy.
• The most serious clashes have been reported in eastern Kurdistan. In Ilam, especially in Abdanan and Malekshahi, protesters clashed with security forces, and there are reports that security forces attacked medical centers. In Lorestan and Kermanshah, direct shootings and street clashes have also been reported.
• Based on unofficial figures, at least 36 people, including four children, have been killed. More than 60 people were injured, and at least 2,076 people have been arrested. Local sources in Malekshahi, Ilam, say that at least five people were killed by direct gunfire.
• Iranian authorities have shown a hard response. Ali Khamenei called the protesters “rioters” and ordered that they be “put back in their place.” The head of the judiciary said the authorities would act firmly and without mercy. At the same time, President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke about peaceful dialogue, but the crackdown has continued.
  The government has also announced an increase in cash subsidies and higher salaries for public sector workers. However, the main focus has been on security measures, including internet shutdowns, mass arrests, and threats to use weapons.
• Donald Trump warned that the USA would react if protesters were killed. Israel has also expressed verbal support for the protesters. At the same time, Kurdish political parties issued a joint call asking people in Kurdistan to go on strike in support of the people of Ilam.

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Live Updates

09.01.2026 | 14:00

Statement from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretariat said widespread anti-government protests that erupted across several cities overnight were initially driven by economic grievances but were later steered toward insecurity through planning by Israel. In a statement, the council said those protesting economic conditions would not take actions that worsen losses or add insecurity to existing hardships. It described the deployment of security and law enforcement forces as aimed at maintaining order and preventing unrest, adding that the forces, alongside the public, would thwart destabilization plans by Israel and the United States. The current protests began 13 days ago at Tehran’s main bazaar.

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09.01.2026 | 13:55

Public Prosecutor of Esfarayen County reportedly killed

Iran’s state broadcaster “IRIB” reported, citing Reza Barati-Zadeh, head of the judiciary in North Khorasan province, that the public prosecutor of Esfarayen county and several security personnel were killed during unrest in the city.
According to Barati-Zadeh, Ali-Akbar Hosseinzadeh, the Esfarayen prosecutor, was present in the city late last night in his capacity as public prosecutor to conduct on-the-ground oversight, accompanied by law enforcement and security forces, when a portable security post where they were stationed was set on fire by “rioters” amid the protests.

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09.01.2026 | 12:42

Baluch women take to the streets in Zahedan

Baluch women took to the streets of Zahedan after Friday prayers, chanting “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei”. They joined continuing protests around the Makki Mosque, Haalvash reported.

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09.01.2026 | 12:18

“The Islamic Republic will not step down”

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Friday dismissed protesters as “foreign-backed saboteurs” and “troublemakers,” a day after the twelfth consecutive night of nationwide protests.
Khamenei stated: “The Islamic Republic will not step down”

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09.01.2026 | 11:35

Iran’s Security forces fire on protesters in Zahedan

Iran’s Security forces opened fire on protesters in Zahedan, southeastern Iran, on Friday, amid large protest by Baluchian after Friday prayers, local outlet HalVash reported. The shooting near the Makki Mosque left several people injured, though the number of casualties remains unclear.

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09.01.2026 | 11:30

Iran has been largely offline for over 12 hours

NetBlocks reports that Iran has been largely offline for over 12 hours, with national connectivity plunging to about 1% of normal levels, amounting to an almost complete shutdown. The nationwide blackout reportedly followed government orders aimed at cracking down on widespread protests and blocking reports of violence and repression.

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09.01.2026 | 10:30

Protesters Take Cities Near Caspian Sea Ports Last Night

Sources on the ground tell The Amargi that protestors have clashed with government forces in the cities of Chaboksar in Gilan Province and Ramsar in Mazandaran Province in the north of Iran.

Protesters burned Islamic Regime banners across the provinces and set fire to police stations. The Iranian government has retaliated, with at least one reported civilian death so far.  

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08.01.2026 | 18:30

Dialogue Center of Kurdistan thanks people on strike

The Dialogue Center of Kurdistan issued a statement of gratitude to the Kurdish people in Rojhelat and across Iran for the general strike held today. The seven Kurdish parties of the Dialogue Center say the strike was a clear political message to the Iranian state.

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08.01.2026 | 16:05

Breaking: mobile-Internet Blackout in Iran

Cloudflare said data from its Cloudflare Radar shows that Iranian IPv6 networks have been fully cut off from the global internet, a move that has effectively blocked mobile users in Iran from accessing international online services.

08.01.2026 | 15:42

Ebrahim Azizi: Protests will not be allowed to succeed

Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s parliamentary National Security Committee, said protests can be “natural,” but warned that what he described as a foreign-backed “riot project” would not be allowed to succeed. Pointing to alleged involvement by foreign intelligence services and Israel, his comments signaled a threat of harsher security measures.

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08.01.2026 | 15:18

The Rial falls sharply

Iran’s currency fell sharply on Thursday, with the dollar reaching 147,520 Rials at the start of today’s trading. The dollar has risen nearly 11,900 rials in the past week as nationwide protests intensify.

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08.01.2026 | 15:00

Iranian Teachers Back Nationwide Protests

555 teachers in Iran issued a statement supporting the ongoing nationwide protests, urging teachers across the country to stand peacefully alongside protesters calling for freedom, justice, and a dignified life.

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08.01.2026 | 14:26

Conservative newspaper Kayhan accuses protesters of links to ISIS, Mossad

In an article titled “When the Mask Fell from the Rioters,” the newspaper said the recent events in Iranian streets should not be seen as protests, but as part of a “full-scale hybrid war” against the Islamic Republic. Kayhan claimed that images from the protests show organized violence and described them as similar to methods used by ISIS.
The article said actions such as attacking security forces, using knives, and setting public property and shops on fire cannot be called a protest by any standard. Without presenting independent evidence, the newspaper blamed these acts on what it called ISIS-style tactics and their supporters.
Kayhan also predicted that Iran’s judicial and security institutions would soon take a “hard approach” against what it described as unrest and those behind it.
In another article, published as the newspaper’s main headline under the title “Destroying People’s Livelihoods, the Mission of Israel’s Agents,” Kayhan described protesters as “hired thugs of Mossad.” The paper claimed there is strong evidence of links between key protest figures and foreign actors, adding that protest slogans show these connections.
Iranian authorities have so far not released clear evidence to support these claims, and independent verification of the accusations has not been possible.

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08.01.2026 | 13:55

4 Kurdish political prisoners and a prisoner from Abadan in Iran’s prisons went on hunger strike. Zeynab Jalalian, Verisha Moradi, Sakineh Parvaneh, Motaleb Ahmadian, and Persia Kamali went on hunger strike supporting the General Strike in Kurdistan.

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08.01.2026 | 13:25

General Strike in Kurdistan

A widespread general strike took hold across Kurdistan’s provinces on Wednesday, January 8, 2026, as protests over crackdowns intensified. Businesses and Bazar close down in Rojhelat, or Iranian Kurdistan, after a joint call from seven major Kurdistan’s political parties.
The strike began early Wednesday morning. Iran’s Security forces are on alert across all Kurdish cities alongside the strikes.
The Dialogue Center of the parties of Iranian Kurdistan announced the strike in a statement issued on Sunday, January 5. The coalition condemned the government’s growing use of violent force against protesters and urged a “unified stance” across Kurdish and Lorish cities and Iran.
The call followed several days of unrest after security forces opened fire on protesters in Ilam, Kermanshah, and other cities.

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08.01.2026 | 13:20

3 killed in Chenaran

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported that at least three people were killed during protests on Wednesday night, January 7, in the city of Chenaran, located in Razavi Khorasan province.
According to the human rights group, the deaths happened during late-night unrest in the city. The organization said the three individuals were killed amid clashes between protesters and security forces, but it did not provide further details about their identities or the exact cause of death.
The Kurdistan Human Rights Network also released a video from the emergency department of Chenaran Hospital. The footage shows medical staff trying to resuscitate the three individuals who were brought to the hospital.
So far, no official statement has been released by Iranian authorities regarding the report. The situation in Chenaran remains unclear, and independent confirmation of the incident has not been possible.

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08.01.2026 | 13:15

General Strikes across Eastern Kurdistan

Following a call by East Kurdistan political parties to support protesters in Ilam and Kermanshah, most shopkeepers across four provinces went on strike on Thursday. The strike took place in West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and Ilam provinces.

According to reports and videos shared on social media, the majority of shops and markets were closed, and business activities stopped almost completely in many cities. The strike was a direct response to the call by Kurdish parties and was meant to protest against the crackdown on demonstrators and the recent deaths.

Local sources say that markets in many cities were fully or almost fully on strike. In West Azerbaijan province, cities such as Urmia, Oshnavieh, Mahabad, Piranshahr, Bukan, and Sardasht saw widespread market closures. In Kurdistan province, strikes were reported in Saqqez, Divandarreh, Sanandaj, Baneh, Marivan, Sarvabad, and Kamyaran.

In Kermanshah province, markets in the cities of Kermanshah, Sahneh, Eslamabad-e Gharb, Sarpol-e Zahab, and Qasr-e Shirin were also closed. In Ilam province, shopkeepers in the cities of Ilam, Ivan-e Gharb, Sarableh, Malekshahi, Abdanan, and Mehran joined the strike.

Local witnesses said that the presence of security forces around the markets increased, but in many cities, the strike continued without serious clashes.
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08.01.2026 | 12:35

The geography of the Iranian Protests

The Amargi’s Mahtab Mahboub writes about the crucial role that Iran’s geography plays in the ongoing Iranian protests. She argues that the current wave of unrest has shifted from the urban center of Tehran to the marginalized mountainous peripheries, specifically the Zagros Mountains region spanning Kurdish and Lur-majority provinces. By highlighting the intersection of chronic underdevelopment, environmental exploitation, and a history of suppressed local autonomy, Mahboub illustrates how these geographically isolated areas have become the heartland of resistance, and that grassroots mobilization has even begun to fill the power vacuums left by retreating state authorities.