3 teenagers among dozens killed during ongoing protests in Iran: report

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, January 07, 2026

Around three dozen people and three minors have been killed after more than a week of protests in Iran sparked by the country’s economic crisis, according to reports from human rights groups. 

At least 36 people have reportedly been killed during the protests. While the Iranian authorities have yet to publish an official death toll, the Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that two of the confirmed deaths were people affiliated with security forces, while the others were protesters. 

According to figures from HRANA, protests have been held in at least 285 locations across 92 cities and 27 provinces, with at least 2,076 people being arrested. Dozens of protesters have been injured.

BBC Persian has so far identified and confirmed the deaths of 20 people. On Tuesday, BBC Persian shared video footage of security forces using tear gas during clashes with protesters.

At least three of the demonstrators who are reported to have been killed were minors, as The Guardian reported on Monday, citing a report from an independent organization, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. Over 40 minors have also reportedly been arrested, according to the report.

Security forces reportedly killed Mostafa Falahi on Jan. 1, a 15-year-old from the city of Azna, according to the human rights group. Another who reportedly perished — 17-year-old Rasul Kadivarian — was killed on Jan. 3 along with his 20-year-old brother, Reza, after security forces fired at protestors in the city of Kermanshah, according to the report. 

While the identity of the third minor, an unnamed 17-year-old whose death was reported on by state media in the city of Qom, has yet to be verified, The Guardian reported that human rights groups have confirmed the teenager’s death. 

One anonymous witness from the district of Malekshahi, who spoke with The Guardian, said that demonstrators had started chanting anti-government slogans over the weekend and demanding the release of protestors who had been detained. 

“We then gathered in front of a government building. That was when the forces opened fire on us. It felt as if they were shooting at enemies or armed groups. I felt like I was in a war zone. I saw several people injured, and I believe some were killed on the spot. We tried to take the wounded to hospitals and prevent government forces from arresting injured protesters,” the witness told the outlet. 

The demonstrations in Iran, which began last month following the depreciation of the country’s national currency and soaring inflation, have spread from the capital to other cities across Iran. Starting in Tehran, the protests spread to university campuses and led traders to shut down their stores.

The protests are reportedly the largest since the 2022 demonstrations following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Amini died after her arrest by the Iranian morality police for not properly wearing a hijab, sparking protests that the Iranian regime quashed with lethal force and mass arrests. 

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first comments about the protests in remarks that aired on state television for audiences in Tehran, as The Associated Press reported on Saturday. 

“We talk to protesters, the officials must talk to them,” Khamenei said. “But there is no benefit to talking to rioters. Rioters must be put in their place.”

Iran’s supreme leader blamed “the enemy” for the collapse of the rial, a form of currency in Iran. Khamenei said during his remarks that countries like the United States and Israel are fueling the protests, repeating a claim that some officials in Iran have made, according to AP. 

“A bunch of people incited or hired by the enemy are getting behind the tradesmen and shopkeepers and chanting slogans against Islam, Iran and the Islamic Republic,” he stated. “This is what matters most.” 

As The Guardian reported last week, Iran’s economy was already struggling. The country reached what the newspaper described as a “breaking point” after the Iranian rial dropped to 1.42 million to the U.S. dollar, a more than 56% decrease in value in six months, causing food prices to rise 72% compared to last year.