Iran: Rioters kill two police officers, injure 30 in Lordegan PHOTO

Armed rioters have killed two police officers and injured more than 30 others in Lordegan, a city in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province in south-western Iran, local media reported on January 7.

According to Iranian media, the unrest began around 10 am when "a group of traders and shopkeepers closed their shops and began to gather and rally and chant slogans on some streets of Lordegan. The marchers were estimated to be around 300 people."

Fars added that "as the protesters gathered around the Khardun neighbourhood and the Shironi Bridge, the situation became tense and resulted in clashes with the police forces, with the movement and incitement of some people who had infiltrated among the protesters."

"During this clash, some of the rioters began to throw stones at the police forces," the report said. "Among the rioters were individuals who were armed with different kinds of military and hunting weapons (rifles) who suddenly began to shoot at the police forces."

The agency said that "as a result of the shooting at the security forces, 2 people were martyred (the above images) and 30 other people were injured."

Fars concluded that "during these clashes, the rioters damaged the governor's office and several other administrative buildings."

Mass protests that began on December 28, 2025, have continued to spread across Iran, evolving from initial economic grievances into a broad challenge to the country’s leadership.

The demonstrations were triggered by a sharp collapse in the value of the Iranian rial, soaring inflation and deteriorating living conditions, prompting shopkeepers and merchants in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and other commercial centres to close their stores and march in the streets. 

What started as a strike over economic hardship quickly spread to major cities, including Isfahan, Mashhad, Kermanshah and Shiraz, drawing students, workers and ordinary citizens chanting anti‑government slogans. 

Security forces have responded with tear gas, live ammunition and mass arrests, while rights groups report dozens of deaths and thousands detained. Protesters’ demands have broadened to include calls for fundamental political change and an end to the Islamic Republic’s rule.

By Aghakazim Guliyev