Media: Protesters in Iran Capture First City, Iranian Authorities Deny

A new wave of protests in Iran has reached a critical point. According to Western news agencies, authorities have lost control over the city of Abdanan, located in the west of the country. Street demonstrations there are taking place without interference from law enforcement, and local residents are openly celebrating the events, reports CNN.

Abdanan is in Ilam province, near the border with Iraq. According to Iranian opposition sources, protesters have completely pushed security forces out of this city. A similar situation is reported in the neighboring Malekshahi, as the channel specifies.

Ali Safavi, a representative of the council, stated that demonstrators forced the security forces to retreat and take control of the streets. Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi expressed her support for the protesters and thanked them for pressuring the regime.

However, Iranian authorities denied the claims of a local activist that protesters had seized the cities of Abdanan and Malekshahi.

The government claims that most demonstrators are expressing their demands peacefully. In some regions of the country, security measures have been intensified, reports Mehr news agency.

Since the beginning of December, protests have spread to dozens of cities in Iran. Citizens are taking to the streets in response to the sharp decline of the Iranian rial and inflation reaching 50%. The country's economy continues to be affected by Western sanctions and the consequences of the war with Israel. According to human rights defenders, the protests have already led to dozens of casualties and more than a thousand arrests, although official Tehran does not confirm these figures.

Security forces are using tear gas, violently dispersing crowds, and restricting internet access. Gunfire was opened near a military facility in Malekshahi, resulting in the deaths of at least three people, CNN reports.

In Tehran, protests have paralyzed the operation of the Grand Bazaar, where traders closed their shops and clashed with police. People shouted slogans for freedom and accused the authorities of disgrace. Similar actions took place in Kermanshah, Lorestan, Mashhad, and Hamadan.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated that the protesters would be "put in their place" and promised to show no mercy to the instigators of the unrest. Against this backdrop, U.S. President Donald Trump warned of the possibility of using force in the event of a brutal crackdown on protests, to which Tehran responded by calling such words reckless and accusing the West of attempting to destabilize the country.