Fars News Agency reported that on Thursday evening, clashes between security forces and protesters in Iran left five people dead and several others wounded.
Based on reports, three people were killed and 17 others injured in Azna, Lorestan province, while two individuals lost their lives in Lordegan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province.
Fars News Agency stated that protesters in Azna entered a police station “armed with cold and firearms, intending to disarm officers and attack the armory,” which led to clashes.
The agency added that during the confrontation, protesters “threw stones at police and destroyed and set fire to several police vehicles.”
The protests began on Sunday, December 28, in response to rising prices and economic stagnation in parts of Iran, and have since spread increasingly.
Dozens of people have been arrested in multiple Iranian cities. The Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor of Kouhdasht, Lorestan, reported that 13 security personnel were injured during clashes with protesters in the city, and one Basiji member died from injuries. Police also detained 20 protesters there.
Tasnim News Agency reported that on Thursday evening, around 50 people protested in Qazvin, prompting police to identify and detain “saboteurs.”
According to the same report, seven members affiliated with “exiled opposition groups” were arrested in Kermanshah by security forces; they were reportedly attempting to “turn public protests into riots,” and one detainee was armed.
In Malard, Tehran, Iranian police also arrested 30 protesters.
