Iranian police detain over 100 protesters in Lorestan

Iranian authorities have arrested more than 100 individuals involved in unrest in Lorestan province, a local state news agency said on Telegram.

“More than 100 participants in the unrest and individuals creating unsafe conditions in various cities across the province were identified and detained in recent days,” the agency said, quoted by Caliber.Az.

Earlier, the Tasnim news agency, citing sources, reported that at least 200 leaders of armed groups accused of organizing mass unrest had been detained by Iranian security forces.

The ongoing nationwide protests in Iran, which erupted on December 28, 2025, and have continued into January 11, 2026, represent the most significant challenge to the Islamic Republic since the 2022–2023 "Woman, Life, Freedom" uprising following Mahsa Amini's death in custody.

These demonstrations initially began in Tehran among shopkeepers and bazaar traders furious over the dramatic collapse of the Iranian rial, hyperinflation, soaring food prices, and general economic hardship exacerbated by long-standing international sanctions. The unrest quickly spread to all 31 provinces, involving university students, young people, and broader segments of society, with chants evolving from economic grievances to explicit anti-regime slogans calling for the overthrow of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an end to clerical rule, and in some cases support for exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.

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.

By Khagan Isayev