Videos of the first clashes between young people and the security forces circulated on social media in the early evening. Smoke bombs were thrown and firecrackers were set off. A car exploded in southern Tehran. Protesters also set fire to barricades in other parts of the country. According to Iranian media, at least seven people have been killed in fireworks accidents.
The renewed call for protest comes on the sidelines of the traditional Chaharshanbe Suri festivities, in which people gather on the eve of the Persian New Year and jump over bonfires in a centuries-old custom. The security services already warned that they would act “decisively” in the event of any disturbances.
Some six months after the start of the most recent wave of protests in the fall, Iran’s political and spiritual leadership are still under severe strain. The protests were prompted by the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, who was arrested in September for a dress code violation and died in captivity