Iranian police arrest key figures in nationwide protests

Iranian National Police Chief Ahmad-Reza Radan announced that several key figures in the country’s protests have been arrested, Caliber.Az reports per AFP.

According to Radan, on the evening of January 10, significant arrests of main participants in the unrest were carried out. Those detained will face punishment after all necessary legal procedures are completed.

State broadcaster IRIB released footage showing the arrests of protest participants in Shiraz and Mazandaran province. The number of detainees and details about their identities have not been officially disclosed.

Protests in Iran have been ongoing since December 28, 2025, when shopkeepers and merchants in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and other commercial centres shut their shops and took to the streets to protest a deepening economic crisis marked by soaring inflation, skyrocketing food prices and the sharp collapse of the Iranian rial to record lows.

Rights group HRANA reports that at least 116 people, including 38 security personnel, have died during demonstrations, seven of them under 18. Authorities have arrested at least 2,638 people since the protests began.

The unrest has spread across the country, with 574 protest locations identified in 185 cities across all 31 provinces, reflecting the nationwide scale of the demonstrations. In response, Iranian authorities have frequently restricted internet access and social media platforms, aiming to disrupt communication among protesters and control information.

By Khagan Isayev