Protests Escalate in Iran: Security Officer Killed Amid Unrest

Thu Jan 01 2026 15:36:53 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A member of Iran's security forces has been killed during escalating protests sparked by a currency collapse, marking a significant moment in the nation's ongoing turmoil.

Protests in Iran have intensified, leading to the death of a member of the Basij paramilitary force during clashes in Kouhdasht, Lorestan province. Injuries have been reported among police and security personnel as unrest spreads from Tehran to other regions, prompting a government declaration of a public holiday in an attempt to quell demonstrations. Both the government and prosecutor general have addressed the unrest, with mixed messages regarding how to handle the ongoing protests.

A member of Iran's security forces was killed during a fourth day of protests in the country, which have been sparked by a currency collapse, the semi-official Fars news agency has reported.

Citing regional official Said Pourali, Fars said the incident happened in the city of Kouhdasht, in the western Lorestan province, adding that a number of members of the security forces were also injured.

Footage verified by BBC Persian appears to show security forces firing at protesters in the city on the same day.

Confrontations were also reported in the southern province of Fars and the western provinces of Hamedan and Lorestan on Thursday.

The authorities in the capital, Tehran, had declared Wednesday a bank holiday - in an apparent effort to quell the unrest, which started in the capital on Sunday.

The Fars report said a 21-year-old member of the Basij - a paramilitary force linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards - was killed during a confrontation in Kouhdasht. Thirteen police officers and Basij members had been injured by stone throwing, the report said.

Unrest broke out in other cities too. In Fars, protesters tried to break into a local government building, leaving three police officers injured and four arrests made in Fasa.

Video footage on social media shows crowds breaking the gate of the governor's office. In further footage, security personnel can be seen responding with gunfire as tear gas clouds fill the air before shuttered shops.

In response to the protests, schools, universities, and public institutions remained closed during the emergency holiday declared by the Iranian government, which was presented as a measure to conserve energy in cold weather but perceived widely as an attempt to contain the protests.

The protests originated among shopkeepers in Tehran reacting to a notable drop in the Iranian currency's value against the US dollar but have since drawn in university students and spread to multiple cities with chants against the country's clerical leadership.

Although the current protests are the most widespread since the 2022 uprising following Mahsa Amini's death in custody, they have not reached the same intensity.

Security has been tightened in areas of Tehran where demonstrations began. President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that the government would heed the legitimate demands of the protesters, while prosecutor general Mohammad Movahedi-Azad warned that attempts to instigate instability would be met with a decisive response.