Iran protest intensifies: Protesters try to break into government building, Revolutionary Guard volunteer killed

Amid widespread protest in Iran, authorities said that a government building was attacked in the southern city of Fasa. According to the justice ministry’s Mizan news agency, several people damaged parts of the provincial governor’s office on Wednesday (Dec 31). Meanwhile, a member of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has been killed on Thursday (Jan 1). The protest have swept across the country since last week. Hamed Ostovar, head of Fasa’s judiciary, said, “a portion of the governor’s office door and its glass were destroyed in an attack by a number of people”, adding that four suspects were arrested after police intervened. He said three police officers were injured. "A 21-year-old member of the Basij from the city of Kouhdasht was killed last night (Wednesday) by rioters while defending public order," the channel said, citing Said Pourali, the deputy governor of Lorestan Province.

Iran Protest

Iranians have taken to street to protest against the economic collapse, and are demanding political regime change and personal freedom. The protest was triggered after the Iranian rial hit a record low of approximately 1.45 million to 1 USD in December 2025, losing nearly half its value since the start of the year. Soon after, inflation hit all time high with food prices surging by 72 per cent and medical goods by 50 per cent. The widespread protest also comes after a 2026 budget proposed 62 per cent tax increase. Protests began on Sunday when the bazaari (merchant class) closed their shops and took to the streets. It expanded to Ahvaz, Hamadan, Qeshm, and Mashhad. Some videos also show protesters chanting slogans in support for Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who is the exiled eldest son of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Shah.

As protest is escalating, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has appealed for unity. Speaking at a business forum in Tehran, Pezeshkian blamed foreign interference for the unrest. “We are in a situation where external pressures are being exerted by the country’s enemies and, unfortunately, within the country as well,” he said. The Iranian president went on to call for unity, saying the country was engaged in a “full-scale war”.

“Right now, the enemy has placed most of its hopes on knocking us down through economic pressure. You cannot conquer a nation with bombs, fighter jets, or missiles,” he said. “And if they were to confront this nation on the ground, if we remain determined, united, and committed to working together to make our country proud, it would be impossible for them to bring Iran to its knees,” he added.

Reza Pahlavi calls for end of regime

In a social media post, Pahlavi said that it is time to end the “46 years of terror and chaos by the regime” and backed the protests erupting throughout the country. He urged the international community to back the people of Iran, claiming that the current regime under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is “most fragile, weak, deeply divided, and unable to suppress the courage of a rising nation.” Terming it as the “tide of history” that is turning, he said that Iranians fighting for freedom will win.

Earlier he said, “I send my greetings to you, the bazaar merchants, and the people who have taken the streets into their own hands,” Reza Pahlavi stated in a video message. “As long as this regime remains in power, the country’s economic situation will continue to deteriorate. Today is a time for greater solidarity. I call on all segments of society to join your fellow citizens in the streets and raise your voices demanding the downfall of this system," he added.