The protests that began in late December have spread to at least 88 cities, covering 27 out of 31 provinces in Iran. According to human rights defenders, security forces have used force against demonstrators, especially in smaller towns, which has led to a resurgence of protests in major cities, including Tehran and Mashhad. Students from at least 17 universities have joined the protests, to which the authorities responded with raids on campuses, reports student media. These protests have become the largest in Iran since 2022, when the public was outraged by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini following her detention by the "morality police."
Among the 35 victims of the protests, 29 were protesters, four were children, and two were security personnel. Iranian authorities have not released official figures on the dead or injured.
It has been reported that in the town of Kuhdasht, a 21-year-old member of the Basij paramilitary force, subordinate to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed during a demonstration. Media reports indicate that security forces attempted to disperse the protesters using weapons, to which the demonstrators responded by throwing stones, which may have led to the death of the Basij member.
On January 5, the Iranian judicial system stated that it would not show leniency to those detained during the protests.
According to The Times, sources in British intelligence report a possible intention of 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to leave Tehran if the army and security forces stop obeying orders and side with the protesters. This "Plan B" includes the possibility of Khamenei and his closest associates, including the presumed heir Mojtaba, fleeing.
According to former Israeli intelligence officer Benny Sabti, Khamenei may head to Moscow, as he has no other options. He cites the example of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's flight to Moscow before the fall of Damascus.
The protests in Iran began on December 28 at the main bazaar in Tehran, where shop owners closed their stores in protest against hyperinflation and sharp price fluctuations. By December 29, the exchange rate of the Iranian rial fell to a record low (one rial became approximately equal to 0.00002 euros). According to the World Bank, food inflation in Iran in October was 64.2%, placing the country second in the anti-rating, surpassed only by South Sudan.
Note. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) is a human rights information agency operating under the non-governmental organization Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI).
The HRAI/HRANA headquarters is actually located not in Iran, but in the USA, where it is registered as a non-profit organization and is situated in Virginia, in the Fairfax area, near Washington.
