Death toll rises to 10 in Iran protests amid economic unrest

The new deaths occurred overnight. In Qom, a man was killed when a grenade exploded in the city, home to major Shiite seminaries. Iranian state media reported security officials claimed the man had intended to use the grenade to attack civilians. In Harsin, Kermanshah province, a member of the Basij, the paramilitary arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, was killed in a gun and knife attack, according to the IRAN newspaper. Online footage showed fires in the streets of Qom during the night.

The protests, now entering their second week, have spread to over 100 locations across 22 of Iran’s 31 provinces, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. The unrest is primarily driven by the rapid depreciation of the Iranian rial, now costing about 1.4 million rials per U.S. dollar, though demonstrators are also voicing broader anti-government grievances.

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran on Friday against violently targeting peaceful protesters, prompting threats from Iranian officials to target American forces in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Iran’s civilian government under reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed willingness to negotiate but acknowledges limited capacity to address the economic crisis, reports UNB.