Demonstrations against excessive inflation escalated into an initiative involving extensive disapproval of the Ayatollah’s administration.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei / © Associated Press
On Thursday, January 1, at least three individuals were killed, including one member of the security forces, amid extensive demonstrations in Iran that commenced a few days prior due to extreme inflation.
This information was provided by Deutsche Welle, referencing the Fars news agency, which is considered semi-official in Iran.
The demonstrations originated last weekend when merchants in Tehran’s major marketplace protested against skyrocketing inflation, currency depreciation, and economic stagnation.
The demonstration then morphed into a movement propelled by comprehensive systemic critique of the government. It broadened, specifically, to universities, and now millions are taking to the streets to demonstrate.
Several of the protestors are demanding the reinstatement of the monarchy. Statements such as “This is the final showdown, [the Shah] will return to Pahlavi” are being proclaimed.
Security forces responded with the use of tear gas and arrests at numerous demonstration locations, and there were substantiated reports of police brutality against students and young people during the conflicts.
A minimum of two civilians lost their lives in clashes on Thursday morning involving armed demonstrators and security personnel in the western locality of Lordahan.
The human rights organization Hengaw also communicated fatalities in the city, stating that security forces killed and injured multiple protesters after initiating gunfire towards them.
The group also indicated that another demonstrator was fatally shot in the central province of Isfahan on Wednesday.
Concurrently, the state news outlet IRNA communicated that a member of the Basij paramilitary organization, part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed on Wednesday evening in Qohdasht, situated in the western portion of the nation, marking the first death among Iranian security personnel since the disruptions began on Sunday.
The Basij volunteer organization is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which functions alongside Iran’s armed forces and reports directly to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
A student news source, thought to be associated with the Basij, cited the deputy governor of Lorestan province as declaring that a member of the Guard “perished at the hands of rioters during the demonstrations.”
An additional 13 members of the Basij forces and police sustained injuries during the confrontations.
As a reminder, on New Year’s Eve, protesters ignited a Basij stronghold in the city of Chenari.