DUBAI. – At least six people died during the riots in Iran between on Wednesday evening and this Thursday, in the largest protests to hit the country in three years, led by the rampant inflation and led to incidents and clashes with police.
Iran has been suffering for years Unbridled price increases for basic products and a chronic devaluation of its currency. According to the statistics center, prices rose by an average of 52% year-on-year in December.
The agency News Fars and the human rights group Hengaw They reported deaths in Lordegan in the west of the country. They also existed in the western city of Kuhdasht and in the central province of Isfahan.
Clashes between demonstrators and security services mark a significant escalation in unrest that has spread since traders protested on Sunday against currency devaluation and rapidly rising prices.
The Revolutionary Guard reported that a member of its Basij paramilitary unit was killed and 13 others were injured in Kuhdasht, and they named someone responsible. Hengaw said the man was identified as Amirhossam Khodayari FardHe was a protester and was shot by the police.
Hengaw also reported that a protester was shot dead in the province on Wednesday Isfahanin central Iran. There were also protests on Thursday Marvdashtin the southern province of Fars. Hengaw said police arrested protesters in the provinces on Wednesday Kermanshah, Khuzestan and Hamedan.
The unrest comes at a critical time for Iran’s theocratic regime, as Western sanctions hit an economy hit by inflation of 40% or more Israeli and American airstrikes in June They targeted nuclear infrastructure and senior military commanders.
Tehran has responded to the protests with an offer of dialogue, a seemingly conciliatory gesture but one that has clashed with its security response. Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said authorities would a direct dialogue with representatives of trade unions and merchants, without providing further details.
The Islamic Republic’s Attorney General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad warned that “any attempt” to turn the protests “into a… Instrument of insecurity, destruction of public property or implementation of scenarios imagined abroad will inevitably result in a decisive response,” he said in quotes on state television.
The Basij are a volunteer paramilitary force loyal to the supreme leader. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which this Thursday accused those involved in the unrest in Kuhdasht “Take advantage of the climate of popular protests.”
Merchants and students from various Iranian universities They have been demonstrating for days and closure of the main bazaars. The government shut down large parts of the country on Wednesday by declaring a holiday because of the cold.
In recent years, authorities have cracked down on protests from various sectors high prices, droughts, women’s rights and political freedoms, often with tight security and numerous arrests.
As a result, the Iranian economy has been in trouble for years American and Western sanctions about Tehran’s nuclear program. Regional tensions led to a 12-day air war with Israel in June, putting additional strain on the country’s finances.
At the moment, the movement is less important than the large demonstrations that rocked Iran in late 2022 after the young woman’s death in custody. Mahsa Amini.
Her death after her arrest for allegedly wearing her veil incorrectly and violating Iran’s strict dress code sparked a conflict Wave of outrage in which several hundred people died, including dozens of members of the security forces.
The President, Masoud Pezeshkianaddressed a warning to his government this Thursday: “From an Islamic point of view, if we do not solve the problem Means of subsistence of the people, we will end up in hell“He explained this in a televised speech.
Previously, the government had tried to send reassuring messages and acknowledge this “legitimate demands” due to economic difficulties.
Agencies Reuters and AFP
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