By Dalena Reporters l January 1, 2026
TEHRAN / DUBAI — Iran witnessed its first reported fatality in a wave of nationwide protests on Wednesday night, December 31, 2025, as demonstrations sparked by deepening economic distress continued to spread across the Islamic Republic. The death marks a significant escalation in unrest that has drawn thousands of Iranians onto the streets in what critics say is the most sustained public pushback against the clerical leadership in three years.
State media confirmed that a 21-year-old member of the Basij militia, a paramilitary force aligned with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed during clashes in Kuhdasht in Lorestan province after protesters reportedly threw stones amid confrontations with security forces. Reuters was unable to independently verify the precise circumstances of the fatality or the identities of those involved.
The demonstrations, which began late last week with shopkeepers and traders in Tehran’s bazaars protesting soaring inflation and the plunging value of the Iranian rial, have rapidly extended into multiple provinces, involving students, bazaar merchants and ordinary citizens angered by sharply rising living costs and economic stagnation.
Inflation in Iran has surged to historically high levels, with the rial losing significant value against major currencies, compounding public frustration over escalating food prices, joblessness and the erosion of household incomes. Officials have acknowledged that economic hardship has intensified due to prolonged Western sanctions, structural fiscal mismanagement and fallout from regional conflicts.
Reports from rights groups and independent observers indicate that protests are occurring not only in Tehran but also in cities such as Lordegan, Isfahan and other provincial centres, with participants staging demonstrations, strikes and partial shutdowns of bazaars. Activist groups have also reported widespread detentions, clashes with security forces and a heavy security presence in several regions, although the government has restricted independent media coverage.
In response to the unrest, Iranian authorities have offered to enter direct dialogue with union representatives and merchant groups, framing the outreach as a constructive step toward addressing economic grievances, even as security forces maintain a robust presence in key urban areas.
The protests come at a politically sensitive moment for Tehran’s leadership, which is grappling with mounting internal pressures alongside ongoing external tensions including sustained sanctions linked to Iran’s nuclear programme and geopolitical hostilities in the broader Middle East.
While the Basij fatality is the first officially acknowledged death directly tied to the current demonstrations, independent human rights monitors and activist networks suggest the toll may be higher, with reports of additional injuries and arrests in multiple locations.
As the unrest enters its fourth consecutive day, state media and government officials have urged calm but stressed that any protests that veer into violence or attempts to target state institutions will be met with firm responses a stance that analysts warn could further inflame public sentiment if economic conditions do not improve.