Violent Clashes As Iran Anti-government Protests Spread To 111 Cities

There were violent clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in several locations in Iran on Wednesday, as a wave of unrest sparked by the country's economic crisis continued for an 11th day.[/b]

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, said two policemen were shot and killed by armed individuals in the south-western town of Lordegan.

Videos posted on social media showed a tense stand-off between protesters and security forces, with the sound of gunfire in the background.

In footage from several other areas, security forces appear to fire guns and tear gas towards crowds of protesters, some of whom are throwing stones.

The protests have so far spread to 111 cities and towns across all 31 provinces, according to the US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA).

It has reported that at least 34 protesters and four security personnel have been killed during the unrest, and that 2,200 protesters have been arrested.

BBC Persian has confirmed the deaths and identities of 21 people, while Iranian authorities have reported the deaths of five security personnel.

The protests began on 28 December, when shopkeepers took to the streets of the capital, Tehran, to express their anger at another sharp fall in the value of the Iranian currency, the rial, against the US dollar on the open market.

The rial has sunk to a record low over the past year and inflation has soared to 40% as sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme squeeze an economy also weakened by government mismanagement and corruption.

University students soon joined the protests and they began spreading to other cities, with crowds frequently heard chanting slogans against the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and sometimes in support of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's late former shah.

On Wednesday, videos verified by BBC Persian showed crowds protesting in Qazvin, north-west of Tehran, and chanting slogans including "Death to the dictator" - a reference to Khamenei - as well as "Long live the shah".

Footage from the Gulf port of Bandar Abbas, showed protesters chanting "Police force, support, support" before security forces disperse them.

In the Shia holy city of Mashhad, in the country's north-east, protesters were seen clashing with security forces and forcing them to retreat. Another video showed people chanting in support of the Pahlavi dynasty, which was overthrown by the 1979 Islamic revolution.

In the late afternoon, a large demonstration also took place in the south-western city of Abadan, near the border with Iraq, according to footage verified by BBC Persian, in which protesters chanted "Cannon, tanks, firecrackers! Mullahs must get lost", a reference to Iran's clerical leadership.

More footage filmed from a balcony in the city appeared to show security forces opening fire as they run away from advancing protesters, who are throwing stones and other objects.

As night fell, security forces were filmed firing tear gas to disperse a protest in Aligudarz, another western city, after a crowd had gathered in a square chanting "People's uprising, Viva!"

Footage also emerged of protesters in Qaemyeh, Fars province, toppling a statue of Qasem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force and one of the most powerful figures in Iran, who was killed in a US air strike on the orders of Donald Trump in 2020.