Additionally, similar reports have emerged regarding the city of Malekshahi in Ilam province. NCRI member Ali Safavi stated in an interview with Fox News that the residents of these cities "effectively control the situation" and are actively celebrating in the streets.
Maryam Rajavi, president of the National Council of Human Rights of Iran, expressed support for the protesters in her post on social media platform X, noting that they have "forced the regime to retreat."
The German publication Bild, citing video footage, reported that Iranian police in Abdanan allegedly applauded the demonstrators, which they characterized as a "sign of regime instability."
Since the beginning of mass anti-government protests in Iran in late December, triggered by a sharp rise in inflation and the fall of the national currency—the rial—opposition sources claim that protests have spread to around 100 cities. Law enforcement agencies are using tear gas and water cannons to disperse rallies, and there are reports of internet outages.
The human rights organization Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reports at least 36 fatalities and over 2,000 arrests during the protests.
Iranian opposition leader Reza Pahlavi described the current situation as a "historic opportunity" for a change of power. At the same time, official circles in Iran consider the protests a result of "external interference."
U.S. President Donald Trump previously stated that the U.S. would "come to help" if Iranian forces began to use violence against protesters. In Tehran, these words were deemed reckless, and authorities threatened strikes against American facilities in the Middle East.
Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, emphasized the need to "put the rioters in their place" and promised to "not yield to the enemy." In response to reports from the British press about Khamenei's potential flight to Russia in the event of escalating protests, Iranian journalist Abbas Juma characterized such rumors as unlikely, noting the lack of serious grounds for them.
