Several Reported Killed in Iran Protests Over Economic Hardships

In December 2025, inflation reached 42.5 percent in the country as the Iranian rial lost around half its value against the dollar.

1/2/2026

By Jeff Louderback

Reprinted from The Epoch Times

Several people have been killed during demonstrations in Iran over the nation’s ailing economy, according to accounts from Iranian media and rights groups on January 1st.

The Fars news agency reported that three protestors were killed and 17 were injured in a police station attack in Iran’s western province of Lorestan.

One protester told the media outlet that refrigerators and pockets are empty, and people see themselves becoming poorer every day.

The protests have escalated as the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody sparked nationwide unrest.

“The rioters entered the police headquarters around 1800 (local time) on Thursday … they clashed with police forces and set fire to several police cars,” according to Fars.

Responding to the government’s management of a sharp currency slide and rapidly rising prices, shopkeepers began protesting on December 28, 2025. Clashes between protestors and security forces have intensified since then.

Iran’s clerical rulers are dealing with Western sanctions that have devastated an economy already struggling with more than 40 per cent inflation. Also, Israeli and U.S. airstrikes in June 2025 targeting Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile infrastructure and military leadership have impacted the country.

“Refrigerators are empty. Pockets are empty. Every day, people see themselves becoming poorer,” one protester said.

Fars and rights group Hengaw reported deaths in Lordegan city, which is located in Iran’s Charmahal and Bakhtiari province.

In the western city of Kuhdasht, authorities confirmed one death, and Hengaw reported another death in the central province of Isfahan.

According to the state-operated IRNA news agency, a separate demonstration on December 31, 2025, resulted in the death of a 21-year-old volunteer in the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s Basij force.

The Iranian news agency Student News Network blamed demonstrators for the Guard member’s death, referencing comments from Saeed Pourali, a deputy governor in Iran’s Lorestan province.

On January 1st, Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said that authorities would have direct dialogue with representatives of trade unions and merchants.

In recent years, often with tough security measures and widespread arrests, authorities have silenced protests that have arisen over issues including droughts, high prices, women’s rights, and political freedoms.

In December 2025, inflation reached 42.5 percent in the country as the Iranian rial lost around half its value against the dollar in 2025.