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Live report: Iran’s bazaar uprising enters day four as strikes spread to more cities

By Mahmoud Hakamian
Iran protests December 31
Iran protests December 31

Live report | Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Iran’s nationwide bazaar-led protests—sparked by a sharp economic deterioration, currency instability, and the rial’s collapse—entered their fourth day on December 31, 2025. What began in Tehran on December 28, 2025 as a strike by merchants and shopkeepers in and around the Grand Bazaar has continued to expand, drawing growing attention as a movement originating from a sector long viewed as part of the regime’s traditional social base.

As we reported on day three, the Grand Bazaar in Tehran remained shuttered for a third consecutive day while protests spread to major cities and university campuses. Students joined the bazaar strikes with open anti-regime slogans, while security forces responded with tear gas and force in multiple areas. Clashes were reported in parts of Tehran—alongside repeated anti-regime slogans including “Death to the dictator” and “Death to the principle of velayat-e faqih”. The regime simultaneously moved security forces, Basij, and plainclothes agents into a heightened state of alert around key urban centers.

On the fourth day, reports and video clips indicate the strike has widened to additional cities—including Shiraz, Isfahan, Hamedan, Ramhormoz, Fasa, and Dehloran—with significant closures also reported in Asadabad. In Kermanshah, the strike is described as fully encompassing the bazaar, despite a heavy deployment of suppressive forces along an approximately 8-kilometer stretch.

Day four roundup: strike expands as street protests intensify nationwide

On December 31, 2025, the bazaar-led uprising continued for a fourth day, with the Tehran bazaar strike still holding and mass demonstrations persisting across the capital despite the presence of repressive forces. Updates also indicate the regime has deployed armored vehicles in Tehran, while security forces used tear gas against protesters at Delgosha Mall. Student demonstrations were also recorded at Al-Zahra University.

As the day progressed, protests extended into the night in multiple cities, with nightly rallies and sustained street actions reported well after dark—underscoring the breadth and persistence of the nationwide movement.

Beyond Tehran, the strike and protests expanded further, with new closures and street actions reported across multiple provinces:

  • Tehran: mass demonstrations in the bazaar; shops closed for the fourth day; chants heard in Lalehzar; marches on Molla Sadra Street; rally at Hassan Abad Square; tear gas used at Delgosha Mall; students protest at Al-Zahra University.
  • Isfahan: strike activity reported in Imam Square, Goldasteh Street, and Ahmadabad Roundabout; street protests continue, including at Naqsh-e Jahan Square and Dowlat Gate, where a woman joined demonstrations shouting “Death to the oppressor.”
  • Shiraz: extensive shutdowns in the Kazemi Street market.
  • Kermanshah: the strike fully covers the bazaar—including the bazaar corridor, gold market, Modarres Passage, Vali Asr Mirdamad Passage, Qods Passage, and the Eslami Bazaar—despite a heavy deployment of suppressive forces along the route from Ferdowsi Square to the Garage over roughly 8 kilometers. Nightly demonstrations continued, with protesters standing their ground despite security forces opening fire.
  • Fasa: protests escalated beyond the bazaar strike, with a large gathering outside the Governorate and municipality building; protesters took control of the Rahnamayi crossroads and entered the Governorate building; helicopter patrols were recorded; videos show direct fire aimed at protesters while public resistance continued.
  • Dehloran and Asadabad: bazaars reported closed.
  • Ganaveh: the bazaar shut down “until further notice.”
  • Arak: merchants closed shops and held protest rallies denouncing corruption and repression; protests that began in the morning continued into the night, with chants of “Death to the dictator!”
  • Yasuj and Dorud: chants of “Death to the dictator” recorded; in Dorud demonstrators also chanted “Death to Khamenei.”
  • Nahavand: protesters chanted “We don’t want the Islamic Republic.”
  • Hamadan: people took to the streets and clashed with repressive forces; chants included “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei.” Nightly footage also showed two youths standing their ground in front of security forces and a water cannon, with the crowd joining and forcing the forces to back off.
  • Fuladshahr, Sabzevar, and Babol: nightly rallies featured chants including “Death to Khamenei” and “Poverty, corruption, high prices, we’re going for regime change.”
  • Khorramabad: nightly rally with chants calling on Iranians to raise their voices and demand their rights.
  • Rasht: protesters torched the motorcycle of regime agents sent to quell demonstrations.
  • Koohdasht: described in updates as rising in open protest and joining the nationwide movement.

21:00 CET

Nightly rallies, day four: protests surge after dark across Iran

On December 31, 2025, nightly rallies were recorded in multiple cities as protesters kept the momentum of the fourth day of the uprising alive well into the evening, with chants escalating against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the ruling system, and acts of resistance reported against repressive forces.

  • Fuladshahr (central Iran): protesters chanted “Death to Khamenei.”
  • Rasht (northern Iran): protesters torched the motorcycle of regime agents sent to quell demonstrations.
  • Babol (northern Iran): crowds chanted, “Poverty, corruption, high prices, we’re going for regime change.”

  • Arak (central Iran): protests that began in the morning continued into the night; protesters resisted security forces and chanted “Down with the dictator!”
  • Kermanshah (western Iran): demonstrations continued well into the night; protesters stood their ground despite security forces opening fire on them.
  • Sabzevar (northeast Iran): nightly rally with chants of “Death to Khamenei.”
  • Khorramabad (western Iran): locals chanted, “Iranians, raise your voice, shout for your rights!”
  • Hamedan (western Iran): two youths stood their ground before repressive forces and a water cannon despite freezing weather; the crowd joined them and forced security forces to back off.

18:00 CET

Protests widen to more cities; clashes and tear gas reported

Tehran: tear gas deployed; student demonstrations continue

Security forces fired tear gas at protesters inside Delgosha Mall in Tehran. Separately, students at Al-Zahra University held demonstrations on the fourth day of nationwide protests, chanting: “So many years of crime, down with the mullahs’ regime.”

Yasuj and Nahavand: anti-regime slogans escalate

In Yasuj (southwest Iran), protesters chanted: “Down with the dictator!”
In Nahavand (western Iran), demonstrators chanted: “We don’t want the Islamic Republic.”

Dorud and Hamadan: “Down with Khamenei” chants; clashes reported in Hamadan

In Dorud (western Iran), people joined the nationwide protests, chanting “Down with the dictator” and “Down with Khamenei.”

In Hamadan (western Iran), people took to the streets and clashed with repressive security forces. Residents voiced anger over injustice and demanded accountability as economic conditions continue to worsen. Protesters chanted “Down with the dictator” and “Down with Khamenei.”

 

Isfahan: women visibly present in street protests

In Isfahan, at Dowlat Gate, a woman joined public protests and shouted “Down with the oppressor,” reflecting mounting anger at injustice and repression and highlighting women’s visible role in the nationwide demonstrations.

16:30 CET

Tehran: demonstrations continue as the bazaar strike enters its fourth day

Mass demonstrations are underway in Tehran’s bazaar as protesters refuse to back down despite the presence of repressive security forces. Strikes continue and shops remain closed for a fourth consecutive day.

Demonstrations are also spreading across the capital. Protesters in Lalehzar chant, “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life is for Iran.” Demonstrators have marched on Molla Sadra Street despite heavy security measures, while residents have held a rally at Hassan Abad Square in defiance of the regime’s special forces. Protesters are also heard chanting, “Come out and shout for your rights!”

At the same time, the regime is deploying armored vehicles to quell protests, while the government claims it intends to address the demands of the people demonstrating for four days.

Tehran bazaar: merchants signal the depth of the strike despite crushing costs

A field report from the Tehran bazaar underscores the depth of the stoppage. According to the report, when shops in Saraye Parsian, Saraye Melli, and the Grand Bazaar close in unison, it reflects the scale of the crisis.

Merchants operating in that location—facing rents of 150 to 250 million tomans (approximately 1.5 to 2.5 billion rials)—are nonetheless keeping their shutters down and absorbing daily losses of 10 to 15 million tomans (approximately 100 to 150 million rials). The message is explicit: this is not a scattered closure of one or two shops, but a broad strike and standstill.

From Tehran’s Shush crystal and glass market, reports describe a stark contrast between official talk of “dialogue” and the reality on the ground. The update states that the area has been filled with riot police (yegan-e vizheh), describing the situation as siege and intimidation, not dialogue—arguing that when protest is met with batons and force, it shows the authorities fear the bazaar and the people.

Isfahan: protests return to the streets as security presence grows

In Isfahan, citizens returned to the streets for the fourth day despite a heavy security presence, calling for support and defying the regime’s repressive forces.

Separately, an update from Naqsh-e Jahan Square describes the start of protests with language emphasizing that “patience has ended” and the city is standing.

Ganaveh and Arak join the expanding strike-and-protest wave

In Ganaveh, the bazaar has shut down “until further notice,” with merchants joining the broader strike movement in solidarity and in protest against worsening economic conditions and livelihood pressures.

In Arak, protests have reached the city on the fourth day as merchants close shops and hold rallies denouncing the regime’s corruption and repression.

Updates from Kuhdasht describe a major public mobilization, framing it as a clear uprising and part of the nationwide protests against injustice, with repeated emphasis that “patience has ended” and the city has openly risen.

11:30 CET

In Fasa (Fars Province), the protests entered a new phase. In addition to the bazaar strike, a large public gathering was held outside the Governorate and the municipality building.

According to published videos, protesters—chanting anti-regime slogans—took control of the Rahnamayi crossroads and, in an uncommon development, entered the Governorate building. A helicopter patrol over Fasa was also recorded.

In the same city, additional videos show regime agents firing live rounds directly at protesters in an attempt to suppress the gathering outside the Governorate and municipality. Despite the reported gunfire, people’s presence and resistance have continued.

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