From Iran, Protest News From All Over

From Tehran, where bazaaris and university students led the uprising in the capital, there is this report: “Major Uprising in Tehran’s Bazaar with Chants of ‘Freedom’ and ‘(Khamenei) Will Be Overthrown,’” Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), January 6, 2026:

On Tuesday, January 6, 2026, the tenth day of the nationwide uprising, protests led by bazaar merchants and rebellious youths in the heart of the capital propelled the Iran uprising into a new phase of confrontation with the ruling religious dictatorship. The uprising has now spread to 110 cities, with 32 martyrs identified so far.

Large sections of Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, including Saray-e Melli, Bazaar Soltani, Parsian, the goldsmiths’ market, Bein-ol-Haramein, and Sabzeh-Meydan, went on strike as merchants closed their businesses to protest. Despite deploying water cannons, plainclothes units, and 20 buses of troops near the Alaeddin Passage and other parts of the bazaar since morning, suppressive forces failed to prevent the formation of demonstrations in the face of determined crowds.

The demonstrators began to march with slogans such as ‘Freedom, Freedom, Freedom’ and ‘This month is the month of blood, Seyyed Ali (Khamenei) will be overthrown.’ The regime’s mercenaries brutally attacked passersby and tried to disperse the crowds by repeatedly firing tear gas and detonating stun grenades in the Bouzarjomehri Bazaar. The volume of tear gas was so high it made breathing difficult, but the brave youths fought back by lighting fires in trash cans. The intense clashes between the people and regime forces extended from the Galoubandak intersection to the Norouz Khan steps and the Ahangaran Bazaar. In Karbalaeiha alley, people also clashed with security forces.

Simultaneously, large-scale demonstrations took place in Sari, Choghamish in Dezful, Bojnurd, and Shahrekord. In Shahrekord, people chanting anti-government slogans clashed with special units. The State Security Force (SSF) had blocked all routes to prevent gatherings; in response, people blocked the streets with fire to prevent SSF attacks. The bazaar merchants of Shahrekord and the furniture market of Shiraz were also on strike. In Yazdanshahr, Isfahan province, people chanted, ‘This year is the year of blood, Seyyed Ali (Khamenei) will be overthrown,’ and ‘First word, last word, overthrow.’…

And outside of Tehran, cities fell to the protestors: “Iran: Malekshahi and Abdanan Fall to the People as Repressive Forces Flee From Rebellious Youth,” National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), January 6, 2026:

On Tuesday, January 6, 2026, the flames of the uprising blazed in various cities across Iran, terrifying the clerical regime. In Abdanan (Ilam province), the city has been effectively taken over by the people and rebellious youths. Large crowds control the streets. When the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) attempted to attack the people, rebellious youths confronted them, setting fire to the Ofogh Kourosh chain store, which is owned by the IRGC. Unable to resist, the mercenaries and repressive forces cowardly took refuge on the roof of the police station. The regime, fearing the spread of the uprising, has cut off the city’s electricity.

In Malekshahi, Ilam, a very large crowd participated in the funeral procession for the martyr Fares (Mohsen) Agha Mohammadi. The people, angered by the killings on January 3 and 4 in Malekshahi and Ilam, chanted, ‘I will kill those who killed my brother.’ In clashes between the people and the special units, a number of special unit members were killed or wounded, and the remaining forces fled. During these clashes, a state-owned bank was set on fire. The slogan ‘Death to Khamenei’ is heard everywhere. Eyewitnesses reported that the special forces have fled and parts of the city have been liberated. The IRGC’s Fars news agency announced this afternoon that Third Lieutenant Ehsan Aghajani, a member of the Ilam provincial police’s repressive forces, was killed in clashes with the people a few hours ago.

In Tehran, the atmosphere in central areas, including Haft-e Tir, Ferdowsi, and Valiasr squares, is tense and under a heavy security presence, with a massive deployment of repressive forces and the use of ambulances to transport personnel.

In Marlik, Karaj, the regime has created an atmosphere resembling martial law with an unprecedented deployment of forces and armored vehicles. In Shahr-e Kord, a brave girl single-handedly stood in front of a water cannon, defying the mercenaries. In Firuzabad, Fars province, the regime arrested 50 youths out of fear of the uprising….

All over Iran, the protests have spread to more than 110 cities. The regime is terrified. It buries in secret the bodies of those it has murdered. In some towns and cities, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-owned properties have been burned to the ground. Fearless demonstrators have also directly attacked the IRGC, and taken casualties. Fear has been transferred from the protesters to those who in the past used to terrify them. The Supreme Leader has been packing his bags for Moscow, just in case it comes to that. The protesters, demanding “Death to Khamenei,” and calling for the return of “Reza, Reza Pahlavi,” know that if many of them are killed, Donald Trump has promised to punish the malefactors from the police, the army, and especially, the IRGC. After Iranians made three attempts in the past — in 2009, in protest of a rigged election, in 2019 over a sudden rise in fuel prices, and in 2022, over the beating to death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the religious police for not arranging her hijab correctly — to protest against the regime, when the Americans offered no support, this time, with Trump’s threat against their tormentors, there is the distinct sense among the people that this monstrous regime will finally crumble under the weight of the protesters’ unassuageable fury.