Listen to this articleA still taken from a video posted on social media on Jan 6 shows Iranian security forces using tear gas to disperse demonstrators in a Tehran bazaar. (AFP Photo/UGC/Anonymous)Security forces used tear gas to disperse protesters in Iran as people angered by the economic situation in the Islamic republic kept up their challenge to the authorities and the exiled opposition Thursday urged them to step up their actions. Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah ousted by the 1979 Islamic revolution and a key exiled opposition figure, said that the turnout during Wednesday’s protests had been “unprecedented” and called for major new protests Thursday evening. HRANA said according to its count protests had taken place in 348 locations over the last 11 days in all of Iran’s 31 provinces. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said security forces on Wednesday “opened fire on protesters, used tear gas and violently assaulted civilians” during a protest in the key southeastern hub of Kerman.

Source: Bangkok Post January 08, 2026 14:35 UTC