Day four of Iran protests sees rallies spread and regime change calls grow

Unlike previous waves of unrest, the government has so far refrained from cutting nationwide internet access. Officials also appear keen to avoid an immediate crackdown that could further inflame public anger and broaden demonstrations.

Authorities have instead announced a series of closures under the pretext of “cold weather and energy saving.” Government offices were shut down in 26 of Iran’s 31 provinces on Wednesday, and several major universities in Tehran moved classes online until further notice under the same pretext.

Recognition of the right to protest, in words

On the third day of protests, President Masoud Pezeshkian said his government recognizes the public’s right to protest and has tasked the interior minister with holding talks with representatives of Tehran’s bazaar merchants.

Ali Ahmadnia, head of the government’s information office, also said on Wednesday that the administration had formally accepted the protests and would listen to criticism. The government, he said, “will sit down and listen to all critics and will not engage in any violent behavior—indeed, it strongly opposes it.”

The comments were met with skepticism on social media. One X user wrote: “If the government respected the people and had heard their protests, it would have resigned on the first day and stood with the public. Instead, despite all its inefficiency, it keeps making empty promises—showing it still doesn’t understand what is happening.”

Warnings from other power centers

Conciliatory language from the government was accompanied by firm warnings from other power centers.

Iran’s prosecutor general, Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, described “peaceful livelihood protests” as part of social realities but warned that “any attempt to turn economic protests into tools of insecurity, destruction of public property, or the execution of externally designed scenarios” would be met with a response from authorities.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also issued a statement on Monday marking the anniversary of the 2009 protest crackdown. It warned it would confront “any sedition, unrest, cognitive warfare, or security threat,” accusing what it called the enemies of the Islamic Revolution of attempting to recreate unrest through “psychological operations and narrative warfare.”

Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the hardline Kayhan newspaper, claimed protesters were few in number and accused them of exploiting economic grievances to create unrest. He also alleged that shopkeepers had distanced themselves from protesters because of slogans he described as “dictated by the Zionist regime.”

Partial retreat toward bazaar merchants, cash aid promises

Meeting with representatives of trade guilds, President Pezeshkian said the government and parliament had agreed to suspend certain tax requirements, including penalties, for up to one year.

The move may not be sufficient to calm unrest among merchants, whose survival depends less on tax relief than on consumers’ rapidly shrinking purchasing power amid high inflation. At the same time, such concessions risk angering salaried workers who cannot avoid paying taxes.

One user wrote on X: “That’s not even the issue. When sales are close to zero, making taxes zero changes nothing. When income doesn’t cover high rent, even cash handouts don’t help.”

The government has also sought to ease public pressure by reiterating its promise to pay a monthly cash subsidy of 7,000,000,000 rials (about $5.17) per person.

Officials present the measure as targeted support for households struggling with rising prices, but critics say the amount has been eroded by inflation and is unlikely to offset the sharp decline in purchasing power or calm growing public anger.

Limited use of force—so far

Social media reports indicate that an unspecified number of protesters have been detained in recent days, though arrests appear more limited than in comparable protests in past years.

In Tehran—where demonstrations quickly spread across markets, streets, and universities on Monday and Tuesday—there have so far been no confirmed reports of security forces firing on protesters, unlike previous unrest. However, on Wednesday, security forces opened fire in the towns of Fasa, in southern Fars province, and Kouhdasht, in Lorestan province, as protesters attempted to enter governorate buildings.

Online reports initially claimed that an 18-year-old had been killed in Fasa, but a video later surfaced showing the young man alive and saying he was unharmed.

Campus controls and university shake-ups

Protests reached several universities on Tuesday, where students chanted anti-government slogans.

Following confrontations, the heads of campus security at Alzahra, Sharif, and Iran University of Science and Technology were dismissed for “a record of misconduct and failure to properly handle recent student protests.”

Also, six of at least seven detained students in Tehran were later released.

Reformist figures welcomed the unprecedented dismissals. Azar Mansouri, head of Iran’s Reformist Front, called the move “a rational response,” saying it signaled recognition that security and stability cannot be achieved by ignoring protesters’ concerns.

Shahin Milani, the executive director of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC), told Iran International's English podcast Eye for Iran, the case marks a turning point – warning that even mid-level officials can no longer assume impunity.

“Iranian officials – even mid-level ones – should understand they are not safe anymore. If they leave Iran, justice may follow them.”

Why Argentina and why this matters now

The complaint was filed by a group of survivors together with the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center and supported by the Strategic Litigation Project at the Atlantic Council.

It asks Argentine judges to investigate crimes against humanity committed during the Islamic Republic's violent response to the 2022 protests, including murder, torture, gender-based persecution and targeted blinding.

Argentina was chosen because its courts recognize universal jurisdiction, allowing them to investigate atrocity crimes even when they were not committed on Argentine soil.

Crucially, Iranian officials – the alleged perpetrators – do not need to set foot in Argentina for a criminal investigation to begin.

Milani says that distinction changes the calculus inside Iran’s power structure.

“If Argentina issues arrest warrants, that alone is a success. Travel becomes risky. Borders become unpredictable.”

Argentina has already heard cases linked to abuses in Venezuela, Myanmar, and Spain’s Franco era, and has dealt with Iran-related cases before, including proceedings tied to the 1994 AMIA bombing – an attack on a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people.

The list of 40 accused officials remains confidential for now. Much of the case, however, draws on years of documentation, including findings by the UN Fact-Finding Mission, which concluded that Iran’s crackdown amounted to crimes against humanity.

Three of the complainants have chosen to be publicly identified.

Kosar Eftekhari was 23 when she was shot in the eye during the protests. Mersedeh Shahinkar was also blinded at close range, but later returned to the streets wearing an eye patch as an act of defiance. Mahsa Piraei joined the case after her mother, Minou Majidi, was killed by security forces while demonstrating against the clerical establishment.

Majidi’s case drew international attention after an image of her daughter, Roya Piraei, standing without the mandatory hijab beside her mother’s photograph at her gravesite went viral. Majidi’s other daughter, Mahsa, is now seeking justice through the landmark lawsuit.

“In our own country, Iran, we were unable to find justice for my mother’s killing because there is no fair or independent judiciary,” Piraei told the Atlantic Council. “Our insistence on preserving human dignity is a global cause that knows no borders.”

Their stories form both the moral heart and legal backbone of the complaint.

Not compensation, only accountability

Unlike civil lawsuits in courts, this case does not seek financial damages.

“This is a criminal complaint,” Milani said. “It’s about responsibility, something painfully rare when it comes to the Islamic Republic.”

Even without immediate arrests, he said, the case lays the legal groundwork for accountability when conditions change.

Milani avoids predicting political collapse or transition. But he is clear about the role of human rights lawyers: they build cases now so they are ready when circumstances change.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. It’s possible that some of these officials’ circumstances change and they have to leave Iran – and they should know they’re not going to be immune from prosecution.”

In other words, even if justice does not arrive immediately, the legal architecture is being laid brick by brick – quietly, deliberately, and beyond Iran’s borders.

No one expects Argentina’s courts to deliver overnight justice. Similar cases against authoritarian officials elsewhere have taken years, and many defendants remain free.

For the families and survivors behind the complaint, however, this marks the clearest indication yet that the struggle that began in the streets in 2022 is now moving into courtrooms – and that justice, however delayed, may no longer be out of reach.

President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration says it recognizes the public’s right to protest, but it has neither the financial resources to placate the deepening public anger nor the political leverage to confront hardliners who place the blame squarely on the government.

Pezeshkian addressed the situation on social media on Tuesday, writing that people’s livelihoods are his daily concern and that fundamental reforms of the monetary and banking system are on the agenda to protect purchasing power. He also said he had tasked the interior minister with speaking to representatives of the protesters.

The message failed to convince most Iranians, including many of Pezeshkian’s own supporters.

Morteza Nemati Zargaran, a university professor, reminded Pezeshkian in a post on X that recognizing public protests carries no practical guarantees as long as he lacks the necessary authority.

“What action can you take if the protesters’ representatives challenge the country’s overarching policies – policies to which you have repeatedly declared your loyalty? And what will you do if … they are arrested by power centers beyond your government?”

'Closed is cheaper than open'

The economic strain has been especially visible in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar.

Morteza, a 45-year-old former wholesale shoe merchant who recently closed his shop after failing to pay rent, told Iran International that nearly all his fellow traders have joined the ongoing bazaar strike.

“They tell me I’m lucky I shut my shop and left,” he said. “They say they lose less money if they keep their shops closed now than if sell their goods – because it’s impossible to replace the stock at the same price.”

The stagnation has become so severe that some shops have recently advertised installment plans for clothing and shoes – an unprecedented practice in Iran and a sign of sharply declining purchasing power.

Morteza added: “The economic situation is so dire that the government no longer dares to deny it. When someone earning 400 million rials a month (around $280) – still a dream salary for many – is below the poverty line in Tehran, it means almost no worker or employee can endure the pressure anymore. Everyone has reached their limit, in every sense.”

Cautious nod from state media

Concerns over further escalation appear to be growing within official circles.

On Monday, state television – controlled by hardliners opposed to President Masoud Pezeshkian – briefly covered the bazaar protests for the first time.

Cameras were taken into shops, airing interviews in which merchants emphasized that their protests were economic in nature and driven by currency volatility rather than politics.

At the same time, videos circulating on social media showed protesters chanting anti-government slogans in several locations.

According to Morteza, while the protests so far have had a strong economic dimension, they cannot be reduced to bread-and-butter issues alone.

“Livelihood is not the only reason for people’s anger. This time, the government cannot calm society with small handouts, superficial concessions or a crackdown.”

Fear at the bottom, strain in the middle

Iran’s deteriorating economy has devastated low-income households while also eroding the lives of salaried middle-class families who once enjoyed relative stability.

Even by official figures, inflation surpassed 50 percent last month. Yet the government’s proposed budget for next year includes only a 20 percent increase in salaries for civil servants and retirees, deepening concerns over an unbridgeable gap between incomes and living costs.

Middle-class families may still live in reasonably maintained homes, but a burst pipe, a broken car, or a medical emergency can wipe out most of a month’s income, according to widespread accounts on social media.

Downsizing, once a coping strategy, now offers little relief. Iran’s housing market – particularly in Tehran – is experiencing an unprecedented slump, limiting families’ ability to sell or relocate to offset rising costs of food and utilities.

Journalist Mohammad Parsi wrote on X: “In this country… first buying a home became a dream, then a car, a phone, travel – and now even essential goods are disappearing from daily life, just like that, in one of the richest countries in the world.”

Another user, Arian Bahmani, described even buying basic snacks as a financial calculation, calling it “a frightening collapse of living standards.”

“The disaster is not that we can’t buy a house or a car – they’ve been dreams for years,” he wrote. “The disaster is that ‘500,000-rial (about 35 cents) treats are luxury purchases. When buying snacks becomes a financial risk, we are no longer citizens – we are hostages.”

Protests spread across Iran on Tuesday, with universities and commercial districts emerging as key hubs amid a widening strike by shopkeepers in Tehran and other cities.

Human rights and student groups said at least 11 protesters were arrested near Tehran’s Shoush Square.

Five students were also detained at universities in the capital, four of whom were later released.

Student outlets reported that one student at Tehran’s Amirkabir University was severely injured during a campus crackdown after members of the Basij militia of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked their gathering.

Videos circulating on social media showed students chanting anti-government slogans, dismantling signs linked to the office of the Supreme Leader’s representatives and confronting security forces at campus gates.

In some clips, officers appeared to retreat as crowds advanced; in others, security forces were seen firing tear gas and, in several locations, shooting toward demonstrators.

The protests coincided with the government’s announcement that public offices would close in nearly 25 provinces, including the capital on Wednesday - a move officials said was necessary to conserve energy amid a severe cold snap. However, online weather data showed no significant drop in temperatures.

The unrest began Sunday after shopkeepers in several Tehran malls and later the Grand Bazaar launched a strike in response to the rial hitting a record low against the US dollar.

Since then, videos verified by Iran International have documented protests in Tehran, Karaj, Qeshm Island, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Shiraz, Yazd, Kerman and several other cities.

Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani acknowledged widespread frustration, saying the protests reflected “intense economic pressure” and that peaceful assembly is recognized under Iran’s constitution.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said he instructed the interior minister to engage in dialogue with representatives of the demonstrators to hear their “legitimate” demands. He later attended a meeting with a handpicked group of trade officials on Tuesday.

Heavy security deployments were reported in Tehran, Mashhad, and Kermanshah, with residents describing checkpoints, constant patrols, and the presence of both uniformed and plainclothes officers.

In Hamadan, footage appeared to show security forces opening fire toward protesters, while riot police in Tehran and the nearby city of Malard used tear gas to disperse crowds.

Demonstrations were held on Tuesday night in several parts of Iran, and are expected to continue into a fourth day, with more Iranian businesses announcing on social media that they will close in solidarity with the movement.

“Israel should remember the blows it received in the recent war and take a lesson from the previous attack before thinking of entering a new one,” IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Naeini said.

“Iran’s power is increasing by the day, and Israelis only talk about a weak Iran in the media while they themselves know very well how strong our missile capabilities are,” Naeini said.

Trump said on Monday he would support possible Israeli strikes on Iran if the Islamic Republic develops its ballistic missile or nuclear programs, warning Tehran against rebuilding military capabilities destroyed in Israeli and American airstrikes in June.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf on Tuesday issued a separate warning, saying that Tehran’s defensive actions do not require external approval.

“Iran does not ask anyone’s permission to defend itself. The Iranian people’s response to any adventurism and wickedness will be broad, uncompromising and even unexpected,” he said.

“Iran’s decisions and actions to secure national interests and exercise its legitimate self-defense will not necessarily be predictable or similar to the past,” he added.​

President Masoud Pezeshkian posted a message on X earlier on Tuesday saying the Islamic Republic’s response to any “tyrannical aggression would be harsh and remorse-inducing,” adding that any new attack “will make the enemy regret what it has done."

The United States held five rounds of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program earlier this year, for which Trump set a 60-day deadline.

When no agreement was reached by the 61st day on June 13, Israel launched a surprise military offensive followed by US strikes on June 22 targeting key nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow.

The attacks killed nuclear scientists along with hundreds of military personnel and civilians. Iranian counterattacks killed 32 Israeli civilians and an off-duty soldier.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said dealing with Trump is beneath the dignity of the Islamic Republic, while Iranian officials have rejected US demands to end uranium enrichment and curb missile capabilities.

The United States has long insisted that Iran must completely halt its uranium enrichment program, stop supporting its armed allies in the Middle East and accept restrictions on its ballistic missile program.

Tehran rejects the conditions as a non-starter for any talks.