"DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Widening demonstrations sparked by Iran's ailing economy spread Thursday into the Islamic Republic's rural provinces, with at least six people being killed in the first fatalities reported among security forces and protesters, authorities said. The deaths may mark the start of a heavier-handed response by Iran's theocracy over the demonstrations, which have slowed in the capital, Tehran, but expanded elsewhere."
"The most-intense violence appeared to strike Azna, a city in Iran's Lorestan province, some 300 kilometers (185 miles) southwest of Tehran. There, online videos purported to show objects in the street ablaze and gunfire echoing as people shouted: "Shameless! Shameless!" The semiofficial Fars news agency reported three people had been killed. Other media, including pro-reform outlets, cited Fars for the report while state-run media did not fully acknowledge the violence there or elsewhere."
Protests sparked by Iran's ailing economy expanded from Tehran into rural provinces, especially areas populated by the Lur ethnic group. Authorities reported at least six fatalities — one on Wednesday and five on Thursday — marking the first deaths among security forces and protesters. The most intense violence occurred in Azna, Lorestan province, where videos showed burning objects, gunfire and people shouting "Shameless! Shameless!" Semiofficial Fars reported three deaths in Azna. Footage also showed unrest in Lordegan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, where Fars cited two fatalities. State-run media did not fully acknowledge the violence, and prior arrests of journalists in 2022 may have limited reporting.
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