At least six killed in Iran protests as deadly wave of unrest enters sixth day

Two people were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces in the city of Lordegan, in south-western Iran, while three were killed in Azna, according to the semi-official Fars news agency and Hengaw, a human rights group.

Another protester was killed in Kouhdasht, Fars reported.

Security forces reportedly opened fire as dissenters took to the streets for a fifth consecutive day to rally against the country’s Islamic establishment, its surging cost-of-living, and a record slump in its currency.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said a member of its Basij volunteer paramilitary unit was killed in Kuhdasht, with 13 others wounded.

Footage from the chaotic scenes on Thursday shows vehicles being set on fire.

Protests first broke out on Sunday afternoon as mobile phone and electronics shopkeepers in Tehran shut their stores after the rial, Iran’s currency, plunged to a record low against the dollar.

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Students joined by Tuesday as the unrest spread across the country.

Schools, universities and public institutions were shut across the country on Wednesday after a bank holiday was announced by authorities in an apparent effort to quash the disorder.

Chants calling for “freedom” and “death to the dictator” have been heard bellowing out across the capital Tehran, a reference to the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Footage shows crowds shouting "rest in peace Reza Shah" as they marched - the royal leader toppled in the 1979 Islamic revolution.

They have also been hears chanting “this is the final battle, Pahlavi will return” — a reference to the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, Reza Pahlavi.

Mr Pahlavi, who lives in the US in exile, wrote on X: "I am with you. Victory is ours because our cause is just and because we are united."

"As long as this regime remains in power, the country's economic situation will continue to deteriorate.”

The Iranian regime said it "recognises the protests" and has insisted it will listen "with patience, even if it is confronted with harsh voices".

Donald Trump said on Friday the US was “locked and loaded and ready to go” as he threatened to step in if Iran cracks down on protesters.

“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go," he wrote on Truth Social.

It comes as the US, Israel and their European allies ramp up pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme.

Speaking following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida on Monday, Mr Trump said: "They've got a lot of problems: tremendous inflation, their economy is bust, their economy is no good, and I know people aren't so happy."

He added that he would be prepared to back another round of Israeli air strikes on Iran if the country accelerated its nuclear programme or rebuilt its ballistic missile stock.

The US backed Israel during its 12-day war with the Iranian regime in September, striking nuclear sites with its bunker-busting bombs to batter its uranium enrichment capabilities.