A volunteer member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp was killed in a western province during widening demonstrations sparked by the country’s ailing economy, authorities said yesterday, marking the first fatality among security forces during the protests.
The death on Wednesday night of the 21-year-old volunteer in the Guard’s Basij force might mark the start of a heavier-handed response by Iran’s theocracy over the demonstrations, which have slowed in the capital, Tehran, but expanded to other provinces.
The state-run IRNA news agency reported on the Guard member’s death, but did not elaborate. An Iranian news agency called the Student News Network, believed to be close to the Basij, directly blamed demonstrators for the Guard member’s death, citing comments from Lorestan Province Deputy Governor Saeed Pourali.
Photo: FARS NEWS AGENCY via AFP
The Guard member “was martyred ... at the hands of rioters during protests in this city in defense of public order,” he reportedly said.
Another 13 Basij members and police officers sustained injuries, he added.
“The protests that have occurred are due to economic pressures, inflation and currency fluctuations, and are an expression of livelihood concerns,” Pourali said. “The voices of citizens must be heard carefully and tactfully, but people must not allow their demands to be strained by profit-seeking individuals.”
The protests took place in the city of Kouhdasht, more than 400km southwest of Tehran.
Under reformist Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the civilian government has been trying to signal that it wants to negotiate with protesters.
However, Pezeshkian has acknowledged there is not much he can do as Iran’s rial has rapidly depreciated, with US$1 now costing about 1.4 million rials.
State television separately reported on the arrests of seven people, including five it described as monarchists and two others it said had links to European-based groups. State TV also said another operation saw security forces confiscate 100 smuggled pistols, without elaborating.
The protests have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations.
The demonstrations have yet to be countrywide and have not been as intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities.
The protests began in Tehran, where shopkeepers went on strike over the high cost of living and economic stagnation, before spreading to other cities, after students from at least 10 universities joined in on Tuesday.
Iran is in the middle of an extended weekend, with the authorities declaring Wednesday a bank holiday at the last minute, citing the need to save energy during the cold weather, but likely as a bid to get people out of the capital. The Iranian weekend is Thursday and Friday, while Saturday marks Imam Ali’s birthday, another holiday for many.
The protests, taking root in economic issues, have heard demonstrators chant against Iran’s theocracy as well.
Iran’s prosecutor general on Wednesday said that peaceful economic protests were legitimate, but any attempt to create insecurity would be met with a “decisive response.”
Additional reporting by AFP
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