Twelve days of protests have troubled the clerical authorities under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei already battling an economic crisis after years of sanctions and recovering from the June war with Israel.
The movement, which originated with a shutdown on the Tehran bazaar on December 28 after the rial plunged to record lows, has spread nationwide and is now being marked by larger-scale demonstrations.
Local media and official statements have reported at least 21 people, including security forces, killed since the unrest began, according to an AFP tally.
On Wednesday, an Iranian police officer was stabbed to death west of Tehran "during efforts to control unrest", the Iranian Fars news agency said.
The semi-official news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, said that other two policemen were shot and killed by armed individuals in the south-western town of Lordegan.
But raising its own toll, the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights claimed security forces had killed at least 45 protesters, including eight minors.
The NGO said Wednesday was the bloodiest day since the demonstrations began, with 13 protesters reported killed.
"The evidence shows that the scope of crackdown is becoming more violent and more extensive every day," claimed IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, adding hundreds more have been wounded and over 2,000 arrested.
These figures could not be independently confirmed.
'Utmost restraint'
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian called for "utmost restraint" in handling demonstrations, saying "any violent or coercive behaviour should be avoided".
With the protests now spreading, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency claimed rallies had taken place in 348 locations in all of Iran's 31 provinces.
Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah, ousted by the 1979 Islamic revolution and a key exiled opposition figure, urged major new protests on Thursday and warned that the "frightened" authorities could cut Internet access to prevent informationfrom filtering out.
Pahlavi has limited popular support inside Iran, where many associate his family with decades of authoritarian rule prior to the revolution.
His support of and from Israel has drawn criticism in the past, particularly after the 12-day war Israel waged on Iran in June.
A nationwide internet blackout was reported in Iran on Thursday, online watchdog Netblocks said.
"Live metrics show Iran is now in the midst of a nationwide internet blackout. The incident follows a series of escalating digital censorship measures targeting protests across the country and hinders the public's right to communicate at a critical moment," the group said in a statement on social media.
Iraq-based Iranian Kurdish opposition parties, including the Komala party, which is outlawed by Tehran, called for a general strike on Thursday in Kurdish-populated areas in western Iran, which have seen intense protest activity.
The Hengaw rights group, which focuses on Kurds and other ethnic minorities in western Iran, said the call for a strike had been widely followed in some 30 towns and cities, posting footage of shuttered shops in the western provinces of Ilam, Kermanshah and Lorestan.
It accused authorities of firing on demonstrators in Kermanshah and the nearby town of Kamyaran to the north, injuring several protesters, as well as cutting the Internet in the region.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard said later that two of its fighters were killed "during an armed clash with separatist elements in the city".
Internet monitor Netblocks said there was a "loss of connectivity" in Kermanshah "amid rising casualties with indications of disruptions in multiple regions".
Protesters in Kuhchenar in the southern Fars province cheered overnight as they pulled down a statue of the former foreign operations commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in January 2020 and is hailed as a national hero by the Islamic republic, in a video verified by AFP.
'Unlawful force'
The protests are being characterised by larger-scale demonstrations, with images posted on social media showing a crowd again demonstrating in Abadan on Thursday.
Demonstrators are repeating slogans against the clerical leadership, including "this is the final battle, Pahlavi will return" and "Seyyed Ali will be toppled", in reference to Khamenei.
The movement has also spread to universities and final exams at a major university in Tehran, the Amir Kabir University, have been postponed for a week, according to ISNA news agency.
The protests are the biggest in Iran for three years after the last major protest wave in 2022-2023, which was sparked by the custody death of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women.
Rights groups have also accused authorities of resorting to tactics, including raiding hospitals to detain wounded protesters.
"More than 10 days of protests have been met with unlawful force," said Amnesty International.
Meanwhile, Israel has said it is thinking about regime change in Iran as an option, former Israeli consul in Los Angeles, Yaki Dayan said on Israel’s i24NEWS.
Dayan said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have to do significant convincing when he meets Trump later this month at Mar-a-Lago, particularly on backing further Israeli action against Iran.
Israel has openly pursued regime change in Iran, with its leadership making the objective explicit during the June war, with Netanyahu declaring two goals: “decapitating the nuclear programme” and achieving “regime change.” Statements by Israeli officials during the conflict explicitly aimed to destabilise the Iranian state and encourage an internal uprising.
Israeli media also reported that Netanyahu approved a new attack plan against Iran, dubbed the “Iron Strike.”
According to the Israeli channel i24news, “Netanyahu presented during the meeting the results of his discussions with US President Donald Trump during their recent meeting in Florida,” noting that “Netanyahu outlined priorities for action against Iran and the timing of operations.”
Iran last saw mass demonstrations in 2022 and 2023 after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.
* This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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