In western Iran, protests escalated into bloody clashes with security forces. As a result of the attack on the police facility, 3 people were killed and 17 others were injured.
According to Fars news agency, the incident occurred in the evening in the city of Ezna, Lurestan province. A group of rioters took advantage of the mass demonstration and attacked police headquarters. The attackers threw stones at law enforcement officers and burned several official vehicles. The clash ended with casualties.
Previously, unrest was reported in the neighboring provinces of Cheharmehal and Bakhtiya, in the city of Lordegan. There, protests also escalated into street clashes. According to preliminary data, at least 2 people were killed and several police officers were injured. Rioters vandalized administrative buildings and banks, causing damage to city infrastructure.
Additionally, Press TV reported the death of a volunteer from the Basij organization, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in the city of Kuhdasht in the west of the country.
Mass protests in Iran began in late December 2025 amid a sharp devaluation of the national currency, the rial. The main reason is the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate and its impact on the growth of wholesale and retail prices. Protests spread across Tehran and several major cities.
Amid the crisis, the head of Iran's Central Bank, Mohammad Farzin, resigned. His successor, Abdolnasser Hemmati, was appointed by presidential decree on 31 December.
The domestic economic situation remains tense. Annual inflation, according to official data, reached nearly 39%. The rial continues to depreciate rapidly: if before 2018, the dollar on the unofficial market was worth about 50 thousand rials, now its exchange rate is up to 1.4 million rials.
