Protests spread across Iran after currency hits record low, 7 killed

Protests and strikes in Iran over inflation and currency devaluation have spread to several cities . The fifth day(Thursday) of protests in Iran became the deadliest so far, with at least seven protesters killed by security forces, as rallies spread to new cities including the clerical stronghold of Qom, where protesters called for the downfall of the theocracy. Demonstrations were reported across dozens of locations, from Tehran and Isfahan to Lorestan, Mazandaran, Khuzestan, Hamadan, and Fars, with protesters chanting slogans directly targeting the ruling system and the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. For the first time in the past five decades, pro-monarchy slogans have come to dominate the chants.The protests began on Sunday after shopkeepers in Tehran's Grand Bazaar staged a strike when the Iranian rial hit a record low against the US dollar on the open market. the protests have spilled into rural parts of the country, with at least seven people killed in the first reports of casualties since the demonstrations began, as security forces and protesters clashed on the streets across Iran, the international news agency Associated Press reported. Earlier, university students took to the streets of Tehran, chanting "Death to the dictator" and slogans in support of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, a US ally who was ousted during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lashes out at the U.S., accusing Washington of betraying even its allies. He claims America backs the “criminal Zionist regime” in Palestine and fuels wars worldwide for oil and resources, now spreading its influence into Latin America.

Security forces fired at protesters, but demonstrators remained in the streets and continued to resist in the city of Nurabad, Lorestan, a video obtained by Iran International shows. pic.twitter.com/44JiM9hNHJ

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) January 1, 2026

In response, Reza Pahlavi, who lives in exile in the United States, wrote on X: "I am with you. Victory is ours because our cause is just and because we are united." "As long as this regime remains in power, the country's economic situation will continue to deteriorate," he added. The US state department's Persian-language account on X also expressed support for the protests. It said the US "praises their courage" and stands with those seeking "dignity and a better future" after years of failed policies and economic mismanagement.

Iran was reportedly high on the agenda of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida on Monday. The Iranian government said it "recognises the protests" and would listen "with patience, even if it is confronted with harsh voices". Iran's supreme leader has repeatedly said that Israel's government hoped mass protests would erupt in Iran during the war and topple the regime. "They wanted to create sedition on the streets... But people were absolutely not influenced by what the enemy wanted," Khamenei said in September.

The protests have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. However, the demonstrations have yet to be countrywide and have not been as intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities. Meanwhile, state television separately reported on the arrests of seven people, including five it described as monarchists and two others it said had linked to European-based groups. State TV also said another operation saw security forces confiscate 100 smuggled pistols, without elaborating.