Tehran, Jan 1 (.) Amid the dawn of 2026, New Year in Iran was sparked by a spree of bullets, blood, anger, and chaos, as the ongoing protests across the Islamic Republic entered their fifth day on Thursday.
The protests took on a noticeably more chaotic and violent form, with at least one demonstrator confirmed to be killed by security forces. There were reports of more confrontations between public and security officials across various Iranian towns and cities, marking a sharp escalation in the state’s response, and the public’s defiance.
One protester, identified as Dariush Ansari Bakhtiarvand, was shot dead by security forces in Fooladshahr, according to Iran International.
Additional fatalities were reported during clashes in other parts of the country, though independent verification remains difficult amid strong media restrictions and difficulty in public access.
As the crackdown intensified, demonstrations spread to the holy city of Qom, a central stronghold of Shi’a clerical power and a symbolic pillar of the Islamic Republic.
Taking to the streets in droves, the public openly chanted pro-monarchy and anti-regime slogans, including “Long live the Shah”, and “Death to the Dictator”, despite a heavy security presence.
Video footage obtained showed demonstrators voicing support for the exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi and remaining on the streets even as security forces used force in their attempts to disperse them.

Holding these demonstrations in Qom, in particular, is emblematic of significant political and religious markers. Qom hosts major seminaries and senior clerics who have traditionally formed the backbone of support for the Islamic Republic.
The emergence of anti-regime and pro-monarchy chants in the city marked a notable breach of what has long been considered a red line.
The bloody public unrest has in the past week escalated rapidly, both geographically and socially, with mass demonstrations being reported across dozens of cities and towns, including Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Lorestan, Khuzestan and several smaller urban centres.
In many locations, slogans have moved well beyond economic grievances, directly targeting clerical rule and Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Chants calling for the total ouster of the current theocratic regime, and an explicit change in the existing system have become increasingly prominent, marking a significant increase in the pro-monarchy slogans for the first time in the last five decades, with chants and slogans emanating at grassroot levels across multiple cities, towns, and even in outskirt settlements.
In Lorestan province, demonstrators in Nurabad were seen advancing towards lines of security forces without retreating, according to footage circulating on social media.
In Lordegan, several people were killed during clashes between protesters and security forces, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
In the southern city of Marvdasht, protesters chanted slogans including “This year is the year of blood, Seyyed Ali will be overthrown”, prompting security forces to open fire, witnesses said.
In Mashhad, another major religious city, demonstrators gathered at a metro station before security forces moved in to break up the crowd.
Arrests have accompanied the use of force. In Farsan, in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, at least 20 protesters — most of them under the age of 18 — were detained following street demonstrations, according to local sources.
Residents said security forces appeared to target teenagers in particular during the round-up, and had no qualms using tear gas, smoke grenades, unleashing batons, and firing live ammo at demonstrators across multiple locations.
With mounting fatalities now confirmed, and rising public outrage, some Iranian observers have noted that the protests have entered a critical juncture, which will test the state’s ability to contain unrest that is no longer limited to just economic demands, but openly challenges the foundations of the Islamic Republic itself, and if they can be contained by just using sheer violence as it is only creating more protests.
. . .