Iran came to a near standstill on Wednesday after authorities ordered a sweeping shutdown of businesses, universities, and government offices in an attempt to contain widening protests tied to a deepening political and economic crisis.
The one-day closure affected 21 of Iran’s 31 provinces, including Tehran, as demonstrations and strikes entered a fourth consecutive day. The unrest has been driven by inflation, currency instability, and falling living standards, according to opposition groups and state-linked reporting.
Clips circulating online and shared by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) showed clashes between protesters and security forces in cities including Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Kermanshah, and Fasa, according to the New York Post. In several videos, demonstrators are seen confronting police in crowded streets while chanting slogans such as “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei.”
In Tehran, bazaar merchants appeared to play a central role in the protests. Footage showed shopkeepers confronting security forces and chanting, “Shame on you,” as protests spread through commercial districts.
Some of the most intense scenes were reported in Fasa, where videos showed protesters throwing objects at the gates of a government complex and forcing them open. Opposition sources said demonstrators briefly stormed the governor’s office, prompting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces to open fire, according to Reuters.
Military helicopters were seen flying low over parts of the city, a move activists said was intended to intimidate residents and prevent the unrest from spreading further. In Kermanshah, video footage showed bazaar merchants chanting “Dishonorable, dishonorable” as they confronted security personnel. Similar scenes were reported in other western cities.
The protests have coincided with high-level leadership changes.
On Wednesday, President Masoud Pezeshkian appointed former economy minister Abdolnaser Hemmati as the new head of Iran’s central bank following the resignation of Mohammad Reza Farzin. State media quoted Pezeshkian as saying the role would be “extremely difficult and complex” amid the current crisis.
The one-day closure affected 21 of Iran’s 31 provinces, including Tehran, as demonstrations and strikes entered a fourth consecutive day. The unrest has been driven by inflation, currency instability, and falling living standards, according to opposition groups and state-linked reporting.
Clips circulating online and shared by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) showed clashes between protesters and security forces in cities including Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Kermanshah, and Fasa, according to the New York Post. In several videos, demonstrators are seen confronting police in crowded streets while chanting slogans such as “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei.”
In Tehran, bazaar merchants appeared to play a central role in the protests. Footage showed shopkeepers confronting security forces and chanting, “Shame on you,” as protests spread through commercial districts.
Some of the most intense scenes were reported in Fasa, where videos showed protesters throwing objects at the gates of a government complex and forcing them open. Opposition sources said demonstrators briefly stormed the governor’s office, prompting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces to open fire, according to Reuters.
Military helicopters were seen flying low over parts of the city, a move activists said was intended to intimidate residents and prevent the unrest from spreading further. In Kermanshah, video footage showed bazaar merchants chanting “Dishonorable, dishonorable” as they confronted security personnel. Similar scenes were reported in other western cities.
The protests have coincided with high-level leadership changes.
On Wednesday, President Masoud Pezeshkian appointed former economy minister Abdolnaser Hemmati as the new head of Iran’s central bank following the resignation of Mohammad Reza Farzin. State media quoted Pezeshkian as saying the role would be “extremely difficult and complex” amid the current crisis.
