Iran protests LIVE updates: 7 dead in clashes, Donald Trump says US will intervene if protesters’ rights violated
Iran protests death toll LIVE updates: Protests over rising living costs in Iran entered a fifth day, with multiple deaths reported in clashes between demonstrators and security forces as unrest spread across several cities.
by Express Web Desk · The Indian Express · JoinIran protests death toll LIVE updates: Unrest in Iran continued to intensify, with reports of additional deaths as protests over the rising cost of living entered a fifth day. As per news agency AP, at least seven people have been killed in the clashes between citizens and security forces. Footage shared on social media on Thursday showed vehicles ablaze amid running confrontations between protesters and security personnel. Many demonstrators were heard chanting slogans against the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while some called for the restoration of the monarchy. Reports of unrest emerged from multiple parts of the country triggered by a sharp collapse in the national currency. Videos verified by BBC Persian showed protests taking place in Lordegan, the capital Tehran, and Marvdasht in southern Fars province.
Violence in Iran forces school shutdown: Authorities shut schools, universities and public institutions nationwide on Wednesday after declaring a bank holiday, a move widely viewed as an attempt to curb the protests. Officials said the closures were due to energy conservation needs amid cold weather, but many Iranians interpreted them as a security measure.
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Why protests are occurring in Iran: The demonstrations initially began in Tehran, led by shopkeepers angered by another steep fall in the value of the rial against the US dollar on the open market. By Tuesday, university students had joined the protests, which quickly spread to other cities. While the current unrest is being described as the most widespread since the 2022 protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, it has not yet reached the same scale. President Masoud Pezeshkian has said his administration is prepared to listen to what he described as the “legitimate demands” of protesters. At the same time, Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad warned that any attempts to undermine stability would be met with what he called a “decisive response.”
Live Updates
Jan 2, 2026 07:48 PM IST
Iran protests LIVE updates: Explained: Iran’s latest protests, where Trump said the US was ‘locked and loaded’
Seven people have died amid the ongoing protests in Iran, which began in the last week of December. While demonstrations have now slowed in the capital, Tehran, they are spreading to other cities and some rural areas, according to the Associated Press.
On Friday (January 2), US President Donald Trump wrote in a social media post, “If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
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Jan 2, 2026 06:10 PM IST
Iran protests LIVE updates: Israeli Foreign Ministry posts about ‘rising lion’
The Farsi language handle of Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted a picture of a lion and sun, the symbols on the pre-Islamic Revolution Iranian flag. “The rise of Iranian lions and lionesses to fight against darkness. Light triumphs over darkness,” the post read.
Jan 2, 2026 06:01 PM IST
Iran protests LIVE updates: Iran’s capabilities today are far beyond those of the 12-Day War, says Defence Minister
Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said that Iran’s capabilities today are “far beyond those of the 12-Day War.” In a remark to state broadcaster IRIB, Nasirzadeh added that if a threat is directed at the Islamic Republic, the armed forces’ response would be “complete and decisive, without any consideration.”
Nasirzadeh also claimed that Iran’s missile program cannot be eliminated by the United States, adding that “Iran’s missile capability cannot be destroyed by bombs or negotiations.”
Jan 2, 2026 04:08 PM IST
Iran protests LIVE updates: A quick recap of the current protests in Iran
The current protests, now in their sixth day, 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.
Iran's civilian government under reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has been trying to signal it wants to negotiate with protesters. However, Pezeshkian has acknowledged that there is not much he can do as Iran's rial currency has rapidly depreciated, with USD 1 now costing some 1.4 million rials. That sparked the initial protests.
Jan 2, 2026 03:36 PM IST
Iran protests LIVE updates: Iran's Larijani warns US interference would spark regional chaos
Senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Larijani, said on Friday that US interference in Iranian protests would lead to chaos across region, after President Donald Trump warned Washington would intervene if Iran used lethal force against peaceful demonstrators. — Reuters
Jan 2, 2026 01:48 PM IST
Iran protests LIVE updates: Trump says US will intervene if Iran violently suppresses peaceful protests
US President Donald Trump on Friday said that if Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, the United States of America will come to their rescue.
"We are locked and loaded and ready to go," he said in a Truth Social post.
(Reuters)
Jan 2, 2026 01:38 PM IST
Iran protests LIVE updates: Is this the first such protest movement in Iran?
Iranian authorities have repeatedly faced waves of protests in recent years, driven by issues ranging from rising prices and water shortages to women’s rights and political freedoms.
These protests have often been met with tough security measures and widespread arrests.
However, the scale and economic roots of the current unrest, combined with Iran’s fragile geopolitical position, make this wave particularly significant.
Jan 2, 2026 12:59 PM IST
Iran protests LIVE updates: How has Iran government responded?
Tehran has paired a security crackdown with an apparent attempt at outreach.
Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said Thursday that authorities would hold direct dialogue with representatives of trade unions and merchants, though no further details were provided.
Jan 2, 2026 12:09 PM IST
Iran protests LIVE updates: Where has violence been reported in Iran?
According to Iranian media and rights groups, unrest overnight into Thursday turned deadly in multiple regions.
The semi-official Fars news agency and rights group Hengaw reported deaths in Lordegan, a city in western Iran. Authorities confirmed one death in the western city of Kuhdasht, while Hengaw reported another death in the central province of Isfahan.
Jan 2, 2026 12:00 PM IST
Iran protests LIVE updates: What triggered the protests?
Iran is witnessing its biggest protests in three years as anger over soaring prices and a collapsing currency spills onto the streets.
What began as demonstrations by shopkeepers over economic distress has escalated into violent clashes with security forces, leaving seven people dead and raising fresh challenges for the country’s clerical leadership.
The protests began Sunday after shopkeepers and traders took to the streets to protest the government’s handling of a sharp fall in the Iranian rial and rapidly rising prices, reported news agency Reuters.
Iran is grappling with inflation of over 40%, with the rial losing around half its value against the US dollar in 2025 alone.
(Read more)
Jan 2, 2026 11:07 AM IST
Iran protests LIVE updates: At least 7 reported killed during widening protests in Iran
Widening demonstrations sparked by Iran's ailing economy spread Thursday into the Islamic Republic's rural provinces, with at least seven 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, two on Wednesday and five on Thursday, occurred in four cities, largely home to Iran's Lur ethnic group.
(PTI)
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