Strikes and protests continue for the third consecutive day in Iran

Hengaw – Tuesday, December 30, 2025

A new wave of strikes and protests in Iran—triggered by worsening economic conditions, soaring inflation, and currency depreciation—continued for the third consecutive day with expanding participation from bazaar merchants across several provinces, including Tehran, Isfahan, Hamedan, Markazi, Khorasan Razavi, Fars, Kermanshah, Khuzestan, and Hormozgan. In several areas, state forces resorted to violence and arrests.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, striking merchants and residents gathered or halted commercial activities in:
Tehran, Hamedan, Izeh, Fuladshahr, Mashhad, Isfahan, Arak, Marlik, Dargahan, Kermanshah, Nourabad Mamasani, Najafabad, Ahvaz, Farsan, and Qeshm.

University students also joined the demonstrations, with protest gatherings reported at:
Shahid Beheshti University, University of Science and Culture, Amirkabir University of Technology, K. N. Toosi University, Tehran Polytechnic, Sharif University of Technology, Iran University of Science and Technology, Isfahan University of Technology, and Yazd University.

State forces used tear gas, live ammunition, and physical force to disperse demonstrators, and carried out multiple arrests. Visual documentation shows detentions in Tehran’s Shush Square, though the identities of those arrested have not yet been confirmed.
Meanwhile, at least five students—Abolfazl Morvati, Mobin Aminiyan, Mani Idi, Aref Hadi-Nejad, and Shahin Shokoohi—were arrested in connection with student protests.

In what appears to be an effort to restrict public gatherings, Iranian authorities announced the closure of government offices, schools, and commercial centers in 21 provinces for Wednesday, December 31, 2025.

This protest movement began on Sunday, December 28, 2025, with coordinated strikes and marches by shopkeepers and bazaar merchants in Tehran before spreading to multiple cities across the country.