Protests have intensified across western Iran, with hundreds of residents in Abdanan and Malekshahi taking to the streets as dawn broke. Local accounts describe the two Ilam province cities as having been temporarily taken over by demonstrators who chanted anti-regime slogans and displayed banners in defiance of security forces. The activists drew attention from opposition groups including the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the exiled leadership of Reza Pahlavi and Maryam Rajavi, who publicly praised the actions of ordinary citizens in what NCRI described as a “taken over” moment.
The unrest has rippled across dozens of cities, reaching Tehran and other provinces as protesters from workers, students and merchants joined marches. Iran’s authorities have responded with force, deploying security personnel to disperse crowds, and hospital reports from Ilam province noted injuries amid the crackdown. HRANA later reported that on the tenth day of protests there were at least 29 deaths and around 1,200 arrests, with accounts that security forces used pellet guns and tear gas during confrontations.
Protesters have framed their campaign as both an expression of chronic economic hardship — including currency collapse and rising inflation — and a rejection of the Islamic Republic’s political leadership. In this atmosphere, many demonstrators have called for broader rights and even regime change, while appealing to international actors for attention and potential support. The movement’s coordination with NCRI and figures like Reza Pahlavi and Maryam Rajavi has kept international headlines focused on Iran’s upheaval, even as authorities crack down within the country.
As the world watches, activists have directed their requests to global audiences as a means to compel consideration of Iran’s domestic crisis. Whether international voices will alter the trajectory of these protests remains uncertain, but the momentum on the streets signals a country under intense pressure and a citizenry unwilling to back down.