In a significant display of opposition against Iran's clerical leadership, substantial numbers of protestors took to the streets in Tehran and across other Iranian cities. Video footage, confirmed by BBC Persian, shows these peaceful demonstrations, which represent the largest opposition movement in recent years. Despite occurring on Thursday evening, the protests were not dispersed by security personnel. Later, a monitoring organization reported a complete national internet blackout.
The videos depict protesters vocalizing chants for the removal of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and expressing support for Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's former shah, who had encouraged the public to demonstrate.
These protests mark the 12th consecutive day of unrest, initiated by the public's frustration over the devaluation of the Iranian currency. According to human rights groups, the demonstrations have now spread to over 100 cities across all of Iran's 31 provinces. Reports from the US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) indicate that at least 34 protestors, including five children, and eight security officials have died, with 2,270 other protesters detained. Another group, Iran Human Rights (IHR), based in Norway, reports that at least 45 protestors, among them eight children, have been killed by security forces. BBC Persian has confirmed 22 of these casualties and their identities, while Iranian officials report the deaths of six security personnel.
On Thursday night, social media conveyed scenes of a considerable demonstration moving along a significant road in Mashhad, located in northeastern Iran. Chants such as "Long live the shah" and "This is the final battle! Pahlavi will return" were heard. In some instances, protestors were captured removing surveillance cameras from an overpass. Another visual, provided by contributors to BBC Persian from northern Tehran, depicts a similarly large demonstration with chants of "This is the final battle! Pahlavi will return." In the same region, protestors, after a clash with security, were recorded shouting, "Dishonourable" and "Don't be afraid, we are all together."
Other regions also reported significant protests. These included chants of "Death to the dictator" in Isfahan, central Iran, "Long live the shah" in Babol, north Iran, and "Don't be afraid, we are all together" in Tabriz, northwest Iran. In Dezful, in the west, camera footage shared with BBC Persian depicted a large group of protestors, while security forces appeared to be opening fire from a central square.
These evening protests followed Reza Pahlavi's appeal for Iranians to demonstrate as a unified front and voice their demands, following the overthrow of his father by the 1979 Islamic revolution. Pahlavi, residing in Washington D.C., posted on X that "millions of Iranians demanded their freedom tonight," commended the demonstrators as his "courageous compatriots," and thanked former US President Donald Trump for holding the regime accountable. He also encouraged European leaders to adopt similar stances and urged protests to persist from 20:00 local time (16:30 GMT) on Friday night.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media have attempted to mitigate the significance of Thursday's protests, with some outlets denying the occurrence of protests entirely by sharing footage of empty streets. Concurrently, NetBlocks, an internet monitoring body, reported a nationwide internet shutdown amidst escalating censorship measures aimed at protests throughout the country.