Iranian protesters clash with security forces as tear gas fills Tehran streets amid nationwide unrest

Protests escalated crossed Iran connected Monday arsenic demonstrators confronted information forces successful Tehran and Mashhad, with authorities deploying teardrop state amid strikes and thoroughfare clashes, according to reports.

An Iranian absorption group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, reported that a ample assemblage of demonstrators marched on Jomhouri (Republic) Street earlier moving into adjacent areas, including Naser Khosrow Street and Istanbul Square successful Tehran.

Central parts of Tehran turned into flashpoints arsenic protesters and authorities information forces engaged successful moving thoroughfare clashes adjacent large authorities and commercialized areas.

Police units fired teardrop state and utilized batons to interruption up crowds successful the metropolis center, according to accounts from the scene.

IRAN REPORTEDLY DEVELOPING CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL MISSILE WARHEADS AS PROTESTS SPREAD OVER COLLAPSING ECONOMY

Protesters march successful downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025.  (Fars News Agency via AP)

Demonstrators responded with chants of "Shameless! Shameless!" and pushed back, forcing information forces to retreat from respective areas.

Nationwide strikes and protests by merchants continued crossed Iran, with shops shuttered successful large commercialized hubs including Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, Lalehzar Street, Naser Khosrow and Istanbul Square. Demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans calling for the downfall of the ruling clerics and demanding the enactment measurement aside.

Video circulating online showed protesters wrong a large buying analyzable successful Tehran’s Grand Bazaar chanting, "Have nary fear, we are each together," portion hurling insults astatine information forces and calling them shameless.

IRAN KILLING SPREE CONTINUES AS REGIME SETS NEW RECORD FOR 2025 EXECUTIONS, DISSIDENT GROUP SAYS

Protesters march successful downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025.  (Fars News Agency via AP)

Additional footage from Tehran’s bazaar districts showed crowds chanting "Death to the dictator," calling connected merchants to unopen down their shops and demanding President Masoud Pezeshkian measurement aside, arsenic voices successful the video said businesses had closed successful protest.

Other video clips captured demonstrations crossed antithetic parts of Tehran, including footage showing protesters attacking and damaging the car of a cleric aligned with the regime.

In different video, an Iran International newsman narrated scenes from the protests with subtitles, describing clashes betwixt demonstrators and information forces arsenic unrest dispersed done the capital.

IRAN'S 'WATER BANKRUPTCY' WILL WEAKEN REGIME AND NUCLEAR PROGRAM, UN EXPERT WARNS

An anti-Israel banner is displayed astatine Palestine Square amid rising tensions successful Tehran, Iran connected Dec. 24, 2025.  (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

By Monday afternoon, the unrest had dispersed to the northeastern metropolis of Mashhad, wherever demonstrators gathered successful cardinal squares and clashed with riot constabulary who moved successful with batons. Protesters pushed backmost arsenic confrontations escalated.

In different report, the IRGC-run Fars News Agency wrote, "Eyewitnesses reported to Fars that among the assemblage of astir 200 people, determination were tiny cells of 5 to 10 individuals chanting slogans that went beyond economical demands."

"At the aforesaid clip arsenic these gatherings, Maryam Rajavi called for the ‘formation of a concatenation of protests,’" the study continued. "An informed root astatine the Ministry of Intelligence said the signifier was successful enactment with what it described arsenic an effort to crook economical grievances into governmental instability."

IRAN REGIME ESCALATES REPRESSION TOWARD 'NORTH KOREA-STYLE MODEL OF ISOLATION AND CONTROL'

Iran International besides reported connected the protests, saying Pezeshkian said Monday helium has instructed his interior curate to unfastened talks with representatives of the protesters, marking his archetypal authoritative effect to the unrest.

The protests, which continued into the night, gained planetary attention, with erstwhile Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett calling for protesters to emergence up successful a video posted to X.

"The Iranian radical person a glorious past, and they tin person an adjacent much glorious future," Bennett said. "That aboriginal depends connected each 1 of you."

IRAN INTENSIFIES INTERNAL SECURITY CRACKDOWN AFTER US, ISRAEL STRIKES

Also weighing successful was erstwhile Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said it was nary astonishment Iranians are taking to the streets amid a collapsing system helium blamed connected the regime’s extremism and corruption.

"It’s nary astonishment that the radical of Iran are taking to the streets to protestation the collapsing economy," Pompeo said. "The Iranian authorities has ruined what should beryllium a vibrant and prosperous state with its extremism and corruption.

"The radical of Iran merit a typical authorities that serves their interests — not those of the mullahs and their cronies," helium added.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR IRAN'S TERROR ARMY, THE IRGC, AFTER DEVASTATING MILITARY SETBACKS?

The NCRI claimed earlier successful the time that information forces linked to the IRGC were placed connected heightened alert successful Tehran, with further units connected standby successful adjacent provinces. The claims could not beryllium independently verified.

In a statement, Maryam Rajavi, NCRI president-elect, said the protests reflected nationalist choler implicit precocious prices, ostentation and governmental repression, and called connected Iranians to enactment the striking merchants.

The Iranian rial has fallen to a caller grounds debased against the U.S. dollar. Official information amusement year-on-year ostentation reached 52.6% successful December, portion mean yearly ostentation was 42.2%.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Videos circulating online amusement chants against authorities officials and increasing vexation among merchants, a radical traditionally viewed arsenic a cardinal pillar of authorities support.

Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.