Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 06:46am on 09 Jan 2026,Friday International
Large crowds marched in Tehran and other Iranian cities on Thursday night, videos verified by BBC Persian showed. Demonstrations were seen in Mashhad, Isfahan, Tabriz and several western towns. Protesters shouted slogans against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and in support of exiled royal Reza Pahlavi. Human rights groups said the unrest has spread to more than 100 cities during 12 days of protests. The US-based HRANA group said at least 34 protesters and eight security personnel have died, while Iran Human Rights reported 45 deaths. NetBlocks said Iran faced a nationwide internet blackout during the rallies.
