Iranian protesters clash with security forces as tear gas fills Tehran streets amid nationwide unrest

Protests escalated crossed Iran connected Monday arsenic demonstrators confronted information forces successful Tehran and Mashhad, pinch authorities deploying tear state amid strikes and thoroughfare clashes, according to reports.

An Iranian guidance group, nan National Council of Resistance of Iran, reported that a ample crowd of demonstrators marched on Jomhouri (Republic) Street earlier moving into adjacent areas, including Naser Khosrow Street and Istanbul Square successful Tehran.

Central parts of Tehran turned into flashpoints arsenic protesters and authorities information forces engaged successful moving thoroughfare clashes adjacent awesome authorities and commercialized areas.

Police units fired tear state and utilized batons to break up crowds successful nan metropolis center, according to accounts from nan scene.

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Protesters march successful downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025.  (Fars News Agency via AP)

Demonstrators responded pinch chants of "Shameless! Shameless!" and pushed back, forcing information forces to retreat from respective areas.

Nationwide strikes and protests by merchants continued crossed Iran, pinch shops shuttered successful awesome commercialized hubs including Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, Lalehzar Street, Naser Khosrow and Istanbul Square. Demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans calling for nan downfall of nan ruling clerics and demanding nan activity measurement aside.

Video circulating online showed protesters wrong a awesome shopping analyzable successful Tehran’s Grand Bazaar chanting, "Have nary fear, we are each together," while hurling insults astatine information forces and calling them shameless.

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Protesters march successful downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025.  (Fars News Agency via AP)

Additional footage from Tehran’s festivals districts showed crowds chanting "Death to nan dictator," calling connected merchants to unopen down their shops and demanding President Masoud Pezeshkian measurement aside, arsenic voices successful nan video said businesses had closed successful protest.

Other video clips captured demonstrations crossed different parts of Tehran, including footage showing protesters attacking and damaging nan car of a cleric aligned pinch nan regime.

In different video, an Iran International newsman narrated scenes from nan protests pinch subtitles, describing clashes betwixt demonstrators and information forces arsenic unrest dispersed done nan capital.

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An anti-Israel banner is displayed astatine Palestine Square amid rising tensions successful Tehran, Iran connected Dec. 24, 2025.  (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

By Monday afternoon, nan unrest had dispersed to nan northeastern metropolis of Mashhad, wherever demonstrators gathered successful cardinal squares and fought pinch riot constabulary who moved successful pinch batons. Protesters pushed backmost arsenic confrontations escalated.

In different report, nan IRGC-run Fars News Agency wrote, "Eyewitnesses reported to Fars that among nan crowd of astir 200 people, location were mini cells of 5 to 10 individuals chanting slogans that went beyond economical demands."

"At nan aforesaid clip arsenic these gatherings, Maryam Rajavi called for nan ‘formation of a concatenation of protests,’" nan study continued. "An informed root astatine nan Ministry of Intelligence said nan shape was successful statement pinch what it described arsenic an effort to move economical grievances into governmental instability."

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Iran International besides reported connected nan protests, saying Pezeshkian said Monday he has instructed his interior curate to unfastened talks pinch representatives of nan protesters, marking his first charismatic consequence to nan unrest.

The protests, which continued into nan night, gained world attention, pinch erstwhile Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett calling for protesters to emergence up successful a video posted to X.

"The Iranian group person a glorious past, and they tin person an moreover much glorious future," Bennett said. "That early depends connected each 1 of you."

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Also weighing successful was erstwhile Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said it was nary astonishment Iranians are taking to nan streets amid a collapsing system he blamed connected nan regime’s extremism and corruption.

"It’s nary astonishment that nan group of Iran are taking to nan streets to protest nan collapsing economy," Pompeo said. "The Iranian authorities has ruined what should beryllium a vibrant and prosperous state pinch its extremism and corruption.

"The group of Iran merit a typical authorities that serves their interests — not those of nan mullahs and their cronies," he added.

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The NCRI claimed earlier successful nan time that information forces linked to nan IRGC were placed connected heightened alert successful Tehran, pinch further units connected standby successful adjacent provinces. The claims could not beryllium independently verified.

In a statement, Maryam Rajavi, NCRI president-elect, said nan protests reflected nationalist anger complete precocious prices, ostentation and governmental repression, and called connected Iranians to support nan striking merchants.

The Iranian rial has fallen to a caller grounds debased against nan U.S. dollar. Official information show year-on-year inflation reached 52.6% successful December, while mean yearly ostentation was 42.2%.

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Videos circulating online show chants against authorities officials and increasing vexation among merchants, a group traditionally viewed arsenic a cardinal pillar of authorities support.

Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.