Two people confirmed dead as Iran protests turn into ‘battlefield’

The largest protests in Iran for three years entered a fifth day on Thursday amid reports of deadly clashes between protesters and security forces, with state-affiliated media confirming at least two people had been killed.Although state media did not identify those killed, witnesses and videos circulating on social media appear to show protesters lying motionless on the ground after security forces opened fire.The Guardian has also received images showing two bodies bearing what appear to be pellet and bullet wounds, though the circumstances surrounding the images could not be independently verified.The Oslo-based Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights said one of those killed had been struck by live ammunition and died before being taken to a medical facility.The two deaths were reported to have occurred in the southwestern city of Lordegan.Activists and human rights groups have warned of an escalation in the response to the protests and say a brutal crackdown is under way as security forces continue to fire directly at protesters. An eyewitness in a message relayed to the Guardian said: “It’s a battlefield here and they [security forces] are firing mercilessly.”Ebrahim Eshaghi, an Iranian wrestler who lives in Germany, but comes from the city of Lordegan and has been in touch with protesters on the ground, said: “Today, the people of my city came out into the streets to demand their rights. So far, two young people have been killed and many more have been injured. We ask all the people of the world to be our voice. The Islamic Republic is the enemy of us all.”Video footage shared on social media appears to show the use of gunfire by security forces against protesters as crowds run through smoke-filled streets and apparently injured people are carried away.'The protests, initially sparked by the collapse of the national currency, began on Sunday in the capital, Tehran, but have since spread to cities across the country, with demonstrators chanting for economic justice and demanding an end to the regime.Roya Boroumand, managing director of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, said the protests were being driven by the drop in the value of currency and its impact on the cost of living.“Iranians are living below poverty lines in increasing numbers and have no hope [of] any notable improvement of their living conditions. They are angry at the state’s mismanagement and corruption, and policies that are causing misery inside the country. The state deems any protest that is anti-government illegal and the law does not really open space to legal protest. That is why we see a pattern of popular outbursts and deadly crackdown.”The protests come after a year of a record number of executions in Iran, with more than 1,500 people put to death in 2025 – the highest number since 1989. Human rights groups say the Iranian authorities have used the death penalty to instil fear among the population and crush dissent.“Executions are being carried out following grossly unfair trials held behind closed doors, amid widespread patterns of torture and forced confessions,” said Amnesty director Hussein Baoumi.