Iran protests: The protests have slowed down in Iran’s capital Tehran; though they have spread to other parts of the country. The most-intense violence, according to reports, have taken place in Azna, which is 300 km from Tehran.
Iran is witnessing its largest-ever protest in years that have claimed at least seven lives and left several others injured. The protests have been sparked by Iran’s ailing economy, which has been struggling over the years due to sanctions by the United States (US) and other western countries over Tehran’s nuclear programme. According to a report, the inflation in Iran reached 42.5 per cent in December last year, forcing the people to take to the streets.
Here’s everything you need to know about this story in 10 points:
1. Videos and photos of the protests have gone viral on social media, in which shots getting fired could be heard as protesters shouted “Shameless! Shameless!”
2. The protests have slowed down in Iran’s capital Tehran; though they have spread to other parts of the country. The most-intense violence, according to reports, have taken place in Azna, which is 300 km from Tehran.
3. Experts say that this is the biggest protest in Iran since 2022, when a massive agitation was launched following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.
4. According to IRNA, Iran’s state-run news agency, a 21-year-old volunteer in the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was also killed in the violence. Though it did not provide much information, the IRNA said that the volunteer was in Guard’s Basij force.
5. The Guard member โwas martyred… at the hands of rioters during protests in this city in defense of public order,โ said Saeed Pourali, a deputy governor in Lorestan province. “Another 13 Basij members and police officers suffered injuries.”
6. Iranian officials have blamed the protesters for the violence. They say that the voice of the protesters must be heard but violence cannot be answer to it.
7. “The protests that have occurred are due to economic pressures, inflation and currency fluctuations, and are an expression of livelihood concerns. The voices of citizens must be heard carefully and tactfully, but people must not allow their demands to be strained by profit-seeking individuals,” said Pourali.ย
8. The protests, meanwhile, are taking at a time when Iran is still reeling following strikes by Israel and the US. The US also bombed Iran’s nuclear sites.
9. Iran has said it is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic program to ease sanctions. However, those talks have yet to happen as US.
10. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have warned Tehran against reconstituting its atomic program.