Two confirmed deaths as Iran protests escalate into a deadly confrontation
The ongoing protests in Iran, the largest in three years, entered their fifth day on Thursday, marked by intense clashes between protesters and security forces. State-affiliated media confirmed at least two individuals have lost their lives, with witnesses and social media videos depicting protesters lying motionless after security forces opened fire. The Guardian has received images of two bodies with apparent pellet and bullet wounds, though the circumstances remain unverified.
The Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights, based in Oslo, reported that one of the deceased was struck by live ammunition and died before reaching medical facilities. These tragic incidents occurred in the southwestern city of Lordegan.
Activists and human rights groups warn of a brutal crackdown, as security forces continue to fire directly at protesters. An eyewitness described the scene as a 'battlefield' with merciless gunfire. Ebrahim Eshaghi, an Iranian wrestler living in Germany but from Lordegan, shared the anguish of his city's residents, stating that two young lives have been lost and many more injured. He appealed to the world for support, denouncing the Islamic Republic as an enemy to all.
Video footage on social media captures security forces using gunfire against protesters, with crowds running through smoke-filled streets and injured individuals being carried away. The protests, initially sparked by the currency crisis, began in Tehran and have spread nationwide, with demonstrators demanding economic justice and regime change.
Roya Boroumand, managing director of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, attributed the protests to the currency's decline and its impact on living costs. She highlighted the growing number of Iranians living below poverty lines, frustrated by state mismanagement, corruption, and policies causing suffering. Boroumand emphasized the state's illegal designation of anti-government protests and the lack of legal protest avenues, leading to a pattern of popular outbursts and deadly crackdowns.
These protests follow a year of record executions in Iran, with over 1,500 people executed in 2025, the highest number since 1989. Human rights groups accuse the Iranian authorities of using the death penalty to instill fear and suppress dissent, with unfair trials, torture, and forced confessions.
