Protests continued across Tehran and other parts of the country on Sunday, with security forces deployed in large numbers around the capital’s main bazaar and major shopping centers as demonstrations entered their eighth day.
Many shops in the bazaar in Tehran remained closed, while plainclothes security agents were reported in nearby streets, according to videos and information received by Iran International.
Videos showed crowds chanting slogans at security forces as tear gas was fired and motorcycle-mounted units were deployed along Jomhouri Street in Tehran.
Overnight protests were reported in dozens of cities, with demonstrations continuing in Tehran neighborhoods including Narmak, Naziabad, and Hafez Street, as well as in provincial cities such as Sangsar in Semnan province, Nurabad-e Mamasani in Fars province, Sari in Mazandaran province, and Malekshahi in Ilam province.
Labor, retiree, civil, and teachers’ organizations inside Iran also issued statements backing the protests, citing inflation, unemployment, and economic pressure.
Internet disruptions across parts of Iran
Internet access was reduced or effectively cut off in several parts of the country on Sunday, particularly in areas where protests were more intense.
Residents in cities including Asadabad in western Iran, Kermanshah, Dezful, Malekshahi, Malard, Marvdasht, Kuhdasht, Borazjan, Mashhad, Shiraz, and parts of Tehran reported severe disruptions, with some saying it took hours to send a single text message.
Opposition figures pay tribute to slain protestors
Iran International has verified the identities 16 protestors who have been killed during the protests.
Some sources have reported a higher number of fatalities. US-based human rights group, Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), reported the deaths of at least 19 protestors on Sunday.
Iran International's investigations to verify reports regarding the identities and final number of those killed in cities including Azna, Marvdasht, Malekshahi, Hefshjan, and Farsan are still ongoing.
Iran’s exiled prince Reza Pahlavi paid tribute to the slain protesters, saying in a post on X that he honored their memory and vowed to hold those responsible to account.
“I honor and keep alive the memory and names of our compatriots who were killed in Iran’s national uprising,” Pahlavi said in a post on X.
Addressing the families of slain protestors, Pahlavi said: “On this irreversible path, I stand shoulder to shoulder with you.”
“I assure you that those who ordered and carried out these crimes will be identified and, without doubt, punished,” he added.
Addressing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, he said: “By spilling the blood of the purest children of this land, you and your network have brought your own downfall closer. We will not back down and will continue until the complete destruction of your anti-Iranian regime.”
Komala Party Leader Abdullah Mohtadi on Sunday offered condolences to the families of slain protesters, and condemned what he described as a “major crime” by the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in Malekshahi, Ilam province.
"The great force of the popular movement will ultimately sweep away the apparatus of oppression and crime," he added in a post on X.
Videos and eyewitness accounts received by Iran International showed security forces opening fire on protesters in several locations, most notably in Malekshahi, a city in Ilam province, where state-linked media confirmed multiple deaths following clashes.
Based on information shared with Iran International, during protests in Malekshahi at least five protesters were killed by direct fire from security forces, and around 30 others were wounded.
Footage from the city showed wounded protesters and scenes of chaos after live ammunition was used.
Overall, at least 15 protesters and one member of the security forces have been reported killed during seven days of demonstrations, according to rights group HRANA.
Iran International was able to confirm that dozens more were wounded by live fire or pellet guns, while arrests were reported across several provinces.
The unrest, initially driven by economic grievances, has increasingly taken on a political character, with protesters chanting slogans against clerical rule and the Supreme Leader, as well as calling for a return of monarchy.
Demonstrations were reported in major cities as well as smaller provincial centers, despite heavy security deployments and warnings from authorities.
In his first public remarks since the protests began, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei described participants as “rioters” and called for their suppression, signaling a hardening official stance as the unrest entered its second week.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said demonstrations, labor strikes and street protests were reported in 60 cities across 25 provinces, indicating that unrest has extended beyond major urban centers into smaller cities and surrounding areas.
The group said protest activity had taken varied forms, including at least 18 student gatherings at 15 universities.
According to HRANA, at least 582 people were arrested during the past week, a figure it described as a minimum estimate, warning that the actual number is likely higher due to reporting restrictions and security pressure.
The data showed a significant number of those detained were minors. In the southwestern city of Yasouj alone, at least 81 people were arrested, including 70 under the age of 18, HRANA said.
Arrests of teenagers aged 15 to 17 were also reported in cities including Sabzevar, Izeh, Zahedan, Isfahan and Yasouj.
HRANA said it had confirmed at least 16 deaths linked to the protests during the seven-day period, including one member of Iran’s security forces. The remaining fatalities were civilians, it said.
At least 44 protesters were wounded by live ammunition or pellet fire, according to HRANA and separate reporting by Iran International. Dozens of others were injured by beatings, tear gas or during arrests, the reports said.
HRANA warned that the death toll could rise, citing conflicting official accounts, pressure on families and severe limits on information flow.
Iranian authorities have not issued comprehensive public figures on arrests or casualties.
