“Mullahs Must Leave”: The Reasons Behind Iran’s Demonstrations

At least seven people have been reportedly killed in Iran as protesters and security forces clashed in several cities during demonstrations in the Islamic Republic’s rural provinces over the ailing economy and rising cost of living. The deaths are believed to mark the start of a heavier-handed response by Iran’s theocracy over the demonstrations against Iran’s Islamic regime led by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which have slowed in the capital, Tehran, but expanded elsewhere over the days.

In Tehran, Iranian authorities have also arrested 30 suspects accused of public order offences, as protests against high prices raged across the nation. “After a coordinated operation by the security and intelligence services, 30 people accused of disturbing public order in the Malard district of western Tehran were identified and arrested last night,” news agency Tasnim reported.

Several videos emerged from Iran, where protestors were heard shouting slogans like “Until the mullah is shrouded, this homeland will not be free” and “Mullahs must leave Iran”.

The most recent protests in Iran are the largest since 2022, when widespread rallies were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police detention. The cost-of-living protests, however, have not yet spread throughout the entire nation and have not been as fierce as those that followed Amini’s death. Amini was arrested for refusing to wear her headscarf, or hijab, to the satisfaction of the authorities.Shopkeepers in Tehran started on strike on Sunday, December 27, 2025, in protest of rising pricing and economic stagnation. Since then, the demonstrations have expanded to other regions of the nation. Two people died on Wednesday and five on Thursday in four cities that are primarily inhabited by the Lur ethnic group in Iran.

Online videos from Lordegan, a city in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province of Iran, showed protesters gathered on a roadway while shooting could be heard in the distance. The video matched the characteristics of Lordegan, which is located around 470 kilometers (290 miles) south of Tehran. A member of Iran’s security forces was killed overnight amid protests in the western city of Kouhdasht, according to a report on state television on Thursday. State media covered the death of a man in Fuladshahr, Iran’s Isfahan province, which activist organizations blamed on police firing on protesters.

The city of Kouhdasht, which is more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) southwest of Tehran, also saw protests.

Under reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s civilian government has been attempting to indicate that it want to engage in dialogue with demonstrators. In an effort to defuse the situation, Pezeshkian acknowledged the “legitimate demands” of the demonstrators and called on the government to act to improve the economy.The Statistical Center of Iran, an official organization, reports that the inflation rate in December was 52% year over year.

However, authorities have also pledged to adopt a “firm” position and cautioned against taking advantage of the circumstances to cause mayhem.Local media outlets have covered the protests in different ways; some have focused on economic challenges, while others have highlighted instances brought on by “troublemakers”