At least 6 reported killed during widening protests in Iran sparked by ailing economy
Source: AP
By JON GAMBRELL
Updated 11:56 AM CST, January 1, 2026
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Widening demonstrations sparked by Iran’s ailing economy spread Thursday into the Islamic Republic’s rural provinces, with at least six people being killed in the first fatalities reported among security forces and protesters, authorities said.
The deaths may mark the start of a heavier-handed response by Iran’s theocracy over the demonstrations, which have slowed in the capital, Tehran, but expanded elsewhere. The fatalities, one on Wednesday and five on Thursday, occurred in three cities predominantly home to Iran’s Lur ethnic group.
The protests have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. However, the demonstrations have yet to be countrywide and have not been as intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities.
The most-intense violence appeared to strike Azna, a city in Iran’s Lorestan province, some 300 kilometers (185 miles) southwest of Tehran. There, online videos purported to show objects in the street ablaze and gunfire echoing as people shouted: “Shameless! Shameless!”
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-economy-israel-us-nuclear-8533eacbc3c502ccc5f5339ae4384399