- Introduction
This Situation Report No. 1 documents the first five days of protests and strikes in Iran during Dey 1404, covering the period 28 December 2025 to 1 January 2026. Based on information collected by HANA, public gatherings and related protest activity expanded from Tehran to at least 32 cities across multiple provinces. Alongside professional and sector-based strikes and street demonstrations, HANA observed a significant escalation in the intensity of security-force responses.
Within this reporting period, HANA recorded at least 148 arrests, at least 7 fatalities, and a minimum of 33 reported injuries. Available information indicates that, in certain incidents, authorities used live ammunition, tear gas, and crowd-control equipment including water cannons, as well as pellet gunfire. In some locations, confrontations reportedly escalated into serious violence.
This report is based on field data, local testimonies, verifiable videos and images, and information received through citizen networks. Due to restricted access, internet disruptions, and the lack of transparent official reporting, some details remain subject to verification. HANA will issue updates as additional reliable information becomes available.
- Drivers of the Protests
HANA’s collected information indicates that the protests unfolded against a backdrop of acute economic hardship and widespread dissatisfaction with governance under the Islamic Republic. In the weeks and months preceding the demonstrations, the rapid depreciation of the rial against the U.S. dollar, accelerating inflation, market stagnation, and a sharp decline in purchasing power intensified pressures on households and business communities. Multiple traders and economic actors reported an inability to cover operating costs, sustain commercial activity, or maintain even minimal profitability.
According to figures circulated by official sources around the outbreak of the protests, the free-market exchange rate reportedly approached 140,000 tomans per U.S. dollar. Reports also pointed to indicators of declining public confidence, including capital outflows from the stock market and increased movement toward parallel markets such as foreign currency and gold. In this context, the initial Tehran bazaar strike on Day 1 rapidly spread to other areas and, in subsequent days, developed into street gatherings, short marches, widespread shop closures, and reported participation by some student groups.
- Key Developments During the First Five Days
Day 1 (Sunday, 28 December 2025): Protest activity began with a strike and gatherings by bazaar merchants in Tehran. Reports indicated broad business closures and assemblies near major economic and commercial areas. Security-force presence reportedly increased in parts of the capital.
Days 2 to 4 (Monday, 29 December to Wednesday, 31 December 2025): Protest activity extended beyond Tehran to numerous cities across multiple provinces. In addition to sector-based strikes, street gatherings and short marches were reported. Student mobilization reportedly began and expanded at certain universities. During this period, HANA recorded reports of arrests and the use of crowd-control measures.
Day 5 (Thursday, 1 January 2026): Protests continued for a fifth consecutive day. Reports indicated an intensified security environment in some cities and broader judicial and security measures. Multiple deaths and severe clashes were reported in certain locations.
- Geographic Scope of Reported Protests
HANA’s information indicates that, during the first five days, protests were reported in Tehran and across a wide range of other cities. Key reported locations include:
Tehran: Beyond the bazaar as an initial focal point, reports over the five days referenced gatherings, strikes, or heavy security presence in and around the Tehran bazaar, Lalehzar Street, Valiasr Street, Imam Khomeini Street, Jomhouri Street, Ferdowsi Street, Bani Hashem Street, Mollasadra Street, Khayyam Street, the fruit and vegetable market area, and Shahr-e Qods. On Day 5, protests were also reported near the produce market area.
Fars Province: On Day 5, gatherings were reported in Marvdasht, Kavar, and Azna. Earlier days reportedly saw activity in Fasa (in front of the governorate), Shiraz, and Noorabad-e Mamasani.
Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province: In Lordegan, a gathering along the route from the municipality roundabout to the governorate reportedly faced tear gas. Protest activity was also reported in Junqan.
Hamedan Province: Continued strikes and protests were reported in Hamedan.
Isfahan Province: Strikes by merchants and gatherings were reported in Isfahan, with demonstrations in Shahin Shahr. Additional reported points during Days 2 to 4 included Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Ahmadabad neighborhood, Yakhchal Street, Fooladshahr, and Najafabad.
Other reported locations (Days 1 to 4): Kouhdasht, Aligudarz, Dorud, Ganaveh, Baghmalek, Kermanshah (including Nobahar Street), Sabzevar, Zanjan, Qeshm, Yazd, Arak, Shahr-e Qods, and Malard. Reports of continued protests on Day 5 suggest sustained activity and a widening geographic spread.
- Security-Force Responses and Use of Force
Reports received by HANA indicate increased deployment of riot-control units, police vehicles, and plainclothes agents in public squares, main streets, and other sensitive urban areas. In several cities, security responses reportedly included tear gas and, in certain cases, live ammunition.
Based on HANA’s review of circulated videos and corroborating reports, documented incidents include:
Lordegan: Tear gas reportedly used to disperse demonstrators along the route from the municipality roundabout to the governorate.
Kermanshah: Reports of pellet gunfire in areas including Mosaddegh Square and the Dabir-e A’zam neighborhood.
Nahavand and Kouhdasht: Reports of gunfire and tear gas used to disperse protesters, including reported pellet use in Kouhdasht.
Azna: Reports of a gathering outside a police facility and a severe confrontation that, based on available information, resulted in three deaths and seventeen injuries. Firearms (reportedly possibly military-type) were used in this incident.
HANA also received reports of detentions carried out in public streets and marketplaces by plainclothes personnel believed to be affiliated with security services. Some videos reportedly show bystanders attempting to prevent arrests. In many cases, the identity of arresting personnel and the destination of those detained remain unknown.
- Arrests and Detention-Related Concerns
Based on collected information, at least 119 individuals were arrested during the first five days of protests, across 24 recorded arrest incidents. Some arrests involved identified individuals; others consisted of group arrests where the identities of all detainees have not been established.
6.1. Reported Individual Arrests
Tehran: Reports referenced the arrest of several students and one journalist, with some later released. It was also reported that several individuals are being held in Evin Prison. Names recorded in available information include:
Mehdi Beik (journalist), Abolfazl Morvati, Shahin Shokouhi, Aref Hadinejad, Mobin Aminian, Mani Eydi, Amirhossein Gholizadeh, Hassan Mousavi, Serira Karimi (release reported for some).
Elnaz Kari, Negar Ghanbari, Helena Rostami, Masoumeh Nouri, Fatemeh Hashem Pour, Aida (surname unknown), with reports indicating detention in Evin.
Ali Hassan Bikian and Alireza Hamami (status unclear in available information).
Khuzestan Province: Soltan Emamkhah (Behbahan) was reportedly arrested for issuing a call and later released. Amirmehdi Razm, Abolfazl Jafsh, and Abolfazl Ashnood were also recorded as detainees.
Isfahan Province: Mahshad Kashani was reportedly arrested on Qaemieh Street.
6.2. Reported Group Arrests
Tehran: 11 individuals in Shoosh Square and Sabounian Street; and a separate arrest incident in the Tehran bazaar involving an unidentified person.
Fasa: 4 individuals during a gathering in front of the governorate.
Kouhdasht: 20 individuals.
Kermanshah: 7 individuals.
Alborz Province: 14 individuals.
Malard: 30 individuals.
Ilam: 29 individuals.
HANA emphasizes that, in a number of cases, the place of transfer following arrest, the detainees’ legal status, and their access to counsel and family were reported as unknown. These circumstances raise serious concerns regarding arbitrary detention and potential violations of due process and fair trial guarantees.
- Reported Fatalities and Injuries
7.1. Fatalities
On Day 5 (1 January 2026), at least 7 individuals reportedly died. Recorded details in available information include:
Amirhosam Khodayari Fard (Kouhdasht): despite conflicting accounts regarding affiliation, local sources identified him as a protester.
Dariush Ansari Bakhtiarvand (Fooladshahr).
Sajjad Valamanesh and Ahmad Jalil (Lordegan).
Three individuals of unidentified identity (Azna).
The circumstances of these deaths remain under verification by HANA’s research team.
7.2. Injuries
Across five days, a minimum of 33 injuries were reported. Reported causes included tear gas exposure, beatings, and other crowd-control measures; in many cases, the identities of injured persons remain unclear. Available information further indicates that officials in Fasa and Kouhdasht claimed that 16 of the injured in those cities were members of law enforcement and security forces.
- Outlook and Next Steps
HANA will continue to monitor developments and document alleged human rights violations associated with the protests across Iran. Subsequent reports will provide updated information regarding incidents, patterns of abuse, and the evolving human rights situation as additional data is corroborated and verified.