Iran protests escalate in Tehran and Mashhad amid violent clashes

Protests escalated throughout Iran on Monday as demonstrators confronted safety forces in Tehran and Mashhad, with authorities deploying tear fuel amid strikes and road clashes, experiences confirmed.

An Iranian opposition group, the Nationwide Council of Resistance of Iran, reported that a big crowd of protesters marched alongside Jomhouri (Republic) Avenue earlier than transferring to close by areas together with Naser Khosrow Avenue and Istanbul Sq. in Tehran.

Central components of Tehran was flashpoints as protesters and regime safety forces engaged in road battles close to main authorities and industrial areas.

Police models fired tear fuel and used batons to disperse crowds within the metropolis heart, in line with experiences from the scene.

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Protesters march in central Tehran, Iran, Monday, December 29, 2025. (Fars Information Company through AP)

Protesters responded with chants of “Shameless! Shameless!” and pushed again, forcing safety forces to withdraw from a number of areas.

Nationwide strikes and protests by retailers continued throughout Iran, with retailers closed in key industrial facilities together with Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, Lalehzar Avenue, Naser Khosrow and Istanbul Sq.. Protesters chanted anti-government slogans calling for the downfall of the ruling clerics and demanding that the leaders step apart.

Video circulating on-line confirmed protesters at a big buying advanced in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar chanting, “Do not be afraid, we’re all collectively,” whereas insulting safety forces and calling them shameless.

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Protesters march in central Tehran, Iran, Monday, December 29, 2025. (Fars Information Company through AP)

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Extra footage from Tehran’s bazaar districts confirmed crowds chanting “Loss of life to the dictator,” calling on retailers to shut their retailers and demanding President Masoud Pezeshkian to step apart, whereas voices within the video stated companies had closed in protest.

Different video clips captured demonstrations in varied components of Tehran, together with footage of protesters attacking and damaging the automotive of a cleric linked to the regime.

In one other video, a reporter from Iran Worldwide narrated scenes from the protests with subtitles, describing clashes between demonstrators and safety forces as unrest unfold by way of the capital.

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An anti-Israel banner is displayed in Palestine Sq. amid rising tensions in Tehran, Iran on December 24, 2025. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu through Getty Photographs)

By Monday afternoon, the unrest had unfold to the northeastern metropolis of Mashhad, the place demonstrators gathered in central squares and clashed with riot police who moved in with batons. Protesters retreated as clashes escalated.

In one other report, the IRGC-run Fars Information Company wrote: “Eyewitnesses reported to Fars that among the many crowd of about 200 folks there have been small cells of 5 to 10 folks chanting slogans that went past financial calls for.”

“Similtaneously these rallies, Maryam Rajavi known as for the ‘formation of a sequence of protests,’” the report continued. “An knowledgeable supply on the Ministry of Intelligence stated the sample was according to what it described as an try to show financial grievances into political instability.”

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Iran Worldwide additionally reported on the protests, saying Pezeshkian stated on Monday he has instructed his inside minister to open talks with representatives of the protesters, marking his first official response to the unrest.

The protests, which continued into the night time, obtained worldwide consideration, with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett calling on protesters to revolt in a video posted on X.

“The Iranian folks have a wonderful previous and may have an much more superb future,” Bennett stated. “That future relies on every of you.”

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Additionally talking have been former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who stated it’s no shock that Iranians are taking to the streets amid a collapsing economic system that he blames on the regime’s extremism and corruption.

“It’s no shock that the Iranian persons are taking to the streets to protest the collapsing economic system,” Pompeo stated. “The Iranian regime has ruined a vibrant and affluent nation with its extremism and corruption.

“The Iranian folks deserve a consultant authorities that serves their pursuits – not these of the mullahs and their cronies,” he added.

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The NCRI claimed earlier within the day that safety forces linked to the IRGC had been placed on heightened alert in Tehran, with further models on standby in close by provinces. The claims couldn’t be independently verified.

In an announcement, NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi stated the protests mirrored public anger over excessive costs, inflation and political repression, and known as on Iranians to help the placing retailers.

The Iranian rial has fallen to a brand new low in opposition to the US greenback. Official knowledge present that year-on-year inflation reached 52.6% in December, whereas the common annual inflation fee was 42.2%.

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Movies circulating on-line present chants in opposition to authorities officers and rising frustration amongst merchants, a bunch historically seen as a key pillar of help for the regime.

Efrat Lachter of Fox Information Digital contributed to this report.