At least six people were killed as demonstrations over Iran’s ailing economy spread throughout the country midweek, marking the first protest-related deaths, according to a new report.
One death occurred on Wednesday, with five more reported on Thursday, the Associated Press reported.
The protests come as Iran’s currency reached an all-time low compared to the U.S. dollar, and the cost of living has soared in recent weeks.
Necessities have increased in price, putting more pressure on Iranians as the economy struggles to grapple with 40% tariffs imposed by Western nations earlier this year.
Protests began on Sunday as shopkeepers in the capital city of Tehran gathered in the streets and called for change.
Since then, the protests have spread, largely to rural areas, but have become the largest national demonstration since 2022, when Iranians gathered in protest to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested for refusing to cover her head with a hijab.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said that the Trump administration stood with the people of Iran.
“The people of Iran want freedom. They have suffered at the hands of the Ayatollahs for too long,” Waltz wrote in a post to X on Monday. “We stand with Iranians in the streets of Tehran and across the country as they protest a radical regime that has brought them nothing but economic downturn and war.”
The people of Iran want freedom. They have suffered at the hands of the Ayatollahs for too long.
We stand with Iranians in the streets of Tehran and across the country as they protest a radical regime that has brought them nothing but economic downturn and war.…
— Ambassador Mike Waltz (@USAmbUN) December 29, 2025
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Officials have not disclosed the identities of those killed this week. The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Washington stated that two of the deceased were protesters, not government officials or police.
The deaths occurred in three cities in a region of the country that is primarily home to the Lur ethnic group.
