At least four killed in protest clashes in western Iran: rights groups

Protests carried on in several cities nationwide throughout Saturday, the seventh day of a movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living in the Islamic republic.

The protests are the most significant in Iran since a 2022-2023 movement that authorities quelled with a crackdown that left hundreds dead and thousands arrested, according to activists.

The Norway-based Hengaw rights group said that Revolutionary Guards used live fire against protesters in the Malekshahi district of the western Ilam province, killing four members of Iran's Kurdish minority.

The group said it was checking reports that two other people had been killed, while it said dozens more were wounded.

The Iran Human Rights NGO, also based in Norway, said at least four people were killed and 30 wounded after "security forces attacked the protests" in Malekshahi.

It posted footage of what appeared to be bloodied corpses on the ground. It was not possible to immediately verify the footage or the toll.

In Iran, media evoked the clashes with the Mehr news agency saying a Revolutionary Guard was killed after "rioters" attempted to enter a police station.

The protests have affected, to varying degrees, at least 30 different cities, mostly medium-sized, according to an AFP tally based on official announcements and media reports.

At least 12 people have been killed since Wednesday in clashes, including members of the security forces, according to a toll based on official reports.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency monitor said that over the past seven days, protests have been recorded at least 174 locations in 60 cities across 25 of Iran's 31 provinces.

During this period, at least 582 individuals were arrested, and at least 15 protesters have been killed, it said.

It was not immediately possible to verify the figures.

The protests began last week following a shutdown by merchants in the Tehran bazaar, an influential economic hub, and spread to other regions as well as universities.

The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Mai Sato said Friday that "reports indicate growing confrontation between protesters and security forces" and warned the violent response witnessed during the 2022-2023 movement "must not be repeated".