On Monday, demonstrators faced off against security forces in Tehran and Mashhad, with authorities using tear gas amid strikes and street clashes, per multiple reports.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an Iranian opposition group, stated that a large crowd of protesters marched down Jomhouri (Republic) Street in Tehran before moving to adjacent areas like Naser Khosrow Street and Istanbul Square.
Central districts of Tehran became conflict hotspots as protesters and regime-aligned security forces engaged in repeated street clashes near major government and commercial zones.
Witness accounts from the scene indicate police units fired tear gas and wielded batons to disperse crowds in the city center.
Protesters responded with chants of “Shameless! Shameless!” and pushed back, forcing security forces to withdraw from several locations.
Merchant-led strikes and protests continued across Iran, with shops closed in key commercial hubs including Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, Lalehzar Street, Naser Khosrow Street, and Istanbul Square. Demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans calling for the ruling clerics’ downfall and demanding the leadership step aside.
Online-circulated videos showed protesters inside a major shopping complex in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar chanting “Have no fear, we are all together” while hurling insults at security forces and labeling them shameless.
Additional footage from Tehran’s bazaar areas captured crowds chanting “Death to the dictator,” urging merchants to shut their shops, and demanding President Masoud Pezeshkian resign—with voices in the videos noting businesses had closed in protest.
Other video clips documented demonstrations across various parts of Tehran, including scenes of protesters attacking and vandalizing the car of a regime-aligned cleric.
Another video featured an Iran International reporter providing subtitled commentary on protest scenes, describing clashes between demonstrators and security forces as unrest spread through the capital.
By Monday afternoon, the unrest had reached the northeastern city of Mashhad, where demonstrators gathered in central squares and clashed with baton-wielding riot police. Protesters pushed back as confrontations escalated.
Fars News Agency, run by the IRGC, reported: “Eyewitnesses told Fars that among a crowd of roughly 200 people, small groups of 5 to 10 individuals chanted slogans going beyond economic demands.”
The report continued: “Concurrent with these gatherings, Maryam Rajavi called for the formation of a ‘chain of protests.’ An informed source at the Ministry of Intelligence said this pattern aligned with what it termed an effort to turn economic grievances into political instability.”
Iran International also covered the protests, noting that [someone] said on Monday he had instructed his interior minister to open talks with protest representatives—marking his first official response to the unrest.
The protests, which extended into the night, drew international attention. Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett posted a video on X urging protesters to rise up.
“The Iranian people have a glorious past, and they can have an even more glorious future,” Bennett said. “That future depends on every one of you.”
Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also weighed in, saying it was no surprise Iranians are taking to the streets amid a collapsing economy he blamed on the regime’s extremism and corruption.
“It’s no surprise that the people of Iran are taking to the streets to [missing action],” Pompeo said. “The Iranian regime has ruined what should be a vibrant and prosperous country with its extremism and corruption.”
“The people of Iran deserve a representative government that serves their interests—not those of the mullahs and their cronies,” he added.
Earlier in the day, the NCRI alleged that IRGC-linked security forces were placed on heightened alert in Tehran, with additional units on standby in nearby provinces. These claims could not be independently verified.
In a statement, Maryam Rajavi, NCRI president-elect, said the protests reflected public anger over high prices, inflation, and political repression, and called on Iranians to support striking merchants.
The Iranian rial has hit a new record low against the U.S. dollar. Official data show year-on-year [missing figure] in December, while average annual inflation stood at 42.2%.
Online videos depict chants against government officials and growing frustration among merchants—a group traditionally viewed as a key pillar of regime support.
Efrat Lachter of Digital contributed to this report.