Iran Protests Cause Widespread Death, Destruction
The large-scale protests erupted in late December, sparked by a persistent financial downturn and the depreciation of the country’s currency, the rial. What began as economic demonstrations quickly took on a political character, leading to roughly two weeks of confrontations in various Iranian cities.
Officials in Tehran have attributed the turmoil to external meddling, pointing fingers at the US and Israel, as well as armed “terrorists” who they claim infiltrated initially peaceful crowds.
Araghchi stated in a post on X on Friday that the disturbances inflicted significant damage nationwide and caused at least 3,117 deaths.
He noted that about 690 of those killed were “terrorists,” with the remainder comprising civilians and members of security forces, though he did not offer a more specific breakdown.
According to the top diplomat, a wide array of structures were damaged or demolished in the unrest, including around 350 mosques, 750 banking institutions, 414 government office buildings, and various other properties.
Araghchi issued his remarks in response to US Vice President JD Vance, who had warned American demonstrators they could face imprisonment if they “storm a church or assault a federal officer.”
The United States has also recently experienced its own protests targeting the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
The Trump administration has repeatedly deployed ICE personnel to cities to carry out operations against individuals suspected of residing in the country illegally. In Minnesota, tensions remain especially high following the fatal shooting earlier this month of a mother of three by an ICE agent during enforcement actions, which has become a focal point of anti-ICE demonstrations.
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