Reports from Iran International confirm that residents of numerous cities, including Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz, Kermanshah, Khorramabad, and several towns in Fars, Ilam, and Lorestan provinces, participated in demonstrations Saturday evening. Protesters chanted slogans including "Death to Khamenei" and "Javid Shah" (Long Live the Shah), expressing support for Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.
The protests have turned deadly in multiple locations. In Malekshahi, Ilam province, security forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing and wounding an unknown number of protesters. Local sources report that medical facilities are overwhelmed and urgently need blood supplies to treat the injured.
Iran International confirmed that Sajjad Valamanesh, a young protester from Lordegan in Lorestan province, was shot dead by government forces on Thursday. Another victim, Ahmadreza Amani, a law trainee, was killed by direct gunfire during protests in Azna the same day.
In a disturbing development, authorities are pressuring the family of Shayan Asadollahi, a 28-year-old protester killed in Azna, to falsely declare him a Basij member and "martyr," effectively blaming fellow protesters for his death. The family has refused these demands.
Security forces have arrested numerous protesters, including Hasti Ghorbani, a 16-year-old student detained near Palestine Square in Mashhad. The Teachers' Coordination Council condemned the arrest as a violation of both domestic law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Former political prisoner and dentist Fariba Hosseini was also detained after posting about police brutality on social media.
At Shiraz University, students burned a banner depicting Qasem Soleimani, the IRGC commander killed in 2020, while chanting pro-Pahlavi slogans. In Tehran's Khak-e Sefid neighborhood, protesters blocked streets, while demonstrators in Khorramabad and Kermanshah lit fires and confronted security forces.
The international community has responded to the escalating violence. The European Union expressed "concern" over reports of deaths and called on Tehran to exercise "maximum restraint" and release all peaceful protesters immediately. U.S. President Donald Trump reposted an article noting that while "Obama failed to support freedom-seeking protesters in Iran two decades ago, Trump made up for it."
Former UK Security Minister Tom Tugendhat posed a provocative question on social media, asking how many senior Islamic Republic officials are already in contact with foreign intelligence services to secure their futures after the regime's fall.
The Komala Party of Kurdistan issued a statement strongly supporting the protests, calling for nationwide strikes and international pressure to stop the crackdown. The party characterized the current uprising as a continuation of previous movements in 2017, 2019, and the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests.
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi addressed Khamenei directly, writing: "We, the Iranian nation, will drag you down from your shaky seat like Zahhak and free our Iran from you and your regime."
Tehran bazaar merchants have called for demonstrations on Sunday, signaling that the protests show no signs of abating.
Photo: Iran International