Widespread unrest continued across Iran on Sunday as anti-government protests entered their third consecutive week amid a deepening economic crisis and intensifying crackdowns by state forces.
Demonstrations that began months ago over skyrocketing inflation, a collapsing currency, and deteriorating living conditions have evolved into some of the largest challenges to the country’s clerical leadership in years.
According to human rights groups, the death toll in the nationwide protests has now risen to at least 203 people, with more than 3,280 arrests reported as security forces have used lethal measures to disperse crowds.
Demonstrators have taken to the streets in major cities, including Tehran, Mashhad, and others, despite an ongoing near-total internet blackout imposed by the authorities, severely restricting communication and independent reporting.
The government has responded with increasingly harsh rhetoric and measures. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned that any military attack by the United States would make U.S. and Israeli forces and installations “legitimate targets” for retaliation—marking a sharp escalation in tensions with Washington.
President Masoud Pezeshkian accused foreign powers of attempting to instigate unrest, even as he acknowledged some of the protesters’ grievances and said authorities are prepared to listen to peaceful demands.
Despite the intense crackdown, including the arrest of protest leaders and the expansion of security deployments, demonstrations continued with chants demanding economic and political reforms.
Iranian state media have denounced the unrest as acts of “terrorism,” while state officials, including the Attorney General, have declared participants “enemies of God”—a charge that can carry the death penalty under Iranian law.
The international community is closely monitoring developments. U.S. President Donald Trump has reiterated support for the Iranian people’s right to protest, saying Washington “stands ready to help,” though the nature of that support remains undefined.
Meanwhile, human rights organisations and diaspora activists have criticised the government’s internet blackout as a deliberate tactic to conceal the extent of violence and suppress dissent.
As Iran’s political and economic crises converge, Sunday’s events underscore a nation at a crossroads, with citizens demanding urgent change and authorities resisting through broader crackdowns and nationalistic posturing.
The coming days are expected to be critical as both internal pressures and international attention continue to build.
#IranProtests #TehranUnrest #MiddleEastCrisis #HumanRights #EconomicCollapse #InternetBlackout #GlobalNews #Iran2026 #PoliticalTension #IranAndUS #FreedomMovement
