As protests sparked by rage over growing living expenses entered a second week, rights organizations and local media reported that deadly clashes between Iranian demonstrators and security forces erupted once more on Sunday. There have been at least 12 fatalities. US President Donald Trump threatened to “hit very hard” Iran if more demonstrators perished..
New deadly clashes between protesters and security forces erupted in Iran, rights groups and local media said Sunday, as demonstrations first sparked by anger over the rising cost of living entered a second week.
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At least 12 people, including members of the security forces, have been killed since the protests kicked off with a shopkeepers’ strike in Tehran on December 28, according to a toll based on official reports.
Overnight, protests featuring slogans criticising the Islamic republic’s clerical authorities were reported in Tehran, Shiraz in the south, and in areas of western Iran where the movement has been concentrated, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) monitor.
The demonstrations are the most significant in Iran since a 2022-2023 movement sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.


