A general strike called by Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in exile was widely observed across western Iran as a broader protest movement entered its 12th day. Human-rights monitors reported closed shops in about 40 towns and cities, while internet access deteriorated toward a nationwide blackout.
Norway-based Hengaw published images of shuttered businesses in Ilam, Kermanshah and Lorestan provinces. The strike linked Kurdish opposition organizations based in neighboring Iraq with demonstrations that began on December 28 over living costs and Iran’s deteriorating economy.
The protest wave had reached gatherings in at least 50 locations, particularly in the west. An AFP count based on official Iranian media reports indicated activity in 25 of the country’s 31 provinces, making it the largest unrest since demonstrations following Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody in 2022.
Rights organizations said security forces used tear gas and violence against demonstrators in multiple places. Iran Human Rights, also based in Norway, reported at least 27 protesters killed, including five minors, and more than 1,000 arrests. It accused security forces of opening fire, using tear gas and assaulting civilians during a demonstration in Kerman. These figures and allegations could not be independently verified from the supplied single-source packet.
Violence was not limited to demonstrators. A police officer was stabbed near Tehran, according to the report. President Masoud Pezeshkian called on security forces to show restraint toward peaceful protesters while treating people he described as violent rioters differently.
Network monitor NetBlocks said Iran had entered an almost complete national internet blackout after escalating restrictions. It recorded a total failure affecting major provider TCI in Kermanshah and reported limitations on mobile service in several large cities. The organization accused authorities of obstructing public communication during a critical moment.
Images circulated by U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency showed protesters celebrating after a statue of General Qassem Soleimani was pulled down in Kuhchenar, Fars province. Separate footage broadcast by a Persian-language television channel showed another Soleimani statue burning. Soleimani, a Revolutionary Guards commander, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad in 2020.
Some crowds chanted in support of a return by the Pahlavi dynasty. Reza Pahlavi, son of the shah removed in 1979 and an active exile opposition figure, called for further rallies that evening. He said the internet restrictions reflected government fear of the protests.
The strike’s breadth demonstrated organized support in Kurdish areas, but closed businesses alone do not establish the reasons each owner stayed shut. The clearest combined evidence was visible commercial closure, continued demonstrations and severe communications restrictions.
With casualty claims rising and internet access disappearing, independent assessment became harder precisely as the movement expanded. That information gap left rights groups, state media and opposition networks providing competing accounts of events on the ground.
