At least seven killed in Iran as protests continue for fifth day

At least seven people have been killed in Iran as violence escalates amid a new wave of anti-government protests that continued for a fifth day on Thursday.

Three "rioters" were killed while trying to enter a police station in Lorestan province, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. Seventeen people were injured, it said.

Videos circulating on social media, which could not be independently verified, appeared to show masked individuals setting cars on fire and throwing stones near the scene in the city of Azna, with gunfire audible in the background.

It was not possibly to verify the events independently.

The incident in Azna brings the death toll up to at least seven as clashes between protesters and security forces appeared to intensify.

Dozens of people have been arrested over the demonstrations, according to state media.

While security forces deployed in large numbers in major cities, authorities moved more forcefully against demonstrations in rural areas, witnesses said.

President Massoud Pezeshkian meanwhile sought dialogue during a visit to one of the protest-hit provinces.

At least two protesters were killed in the western city of Lordegan, the Norway-based human rights group Hengaw said. The Fars news agency also reported two deaths in clashes in the city, adding that demonstrators set tyres on fire and attacked police officers.

One man was shot dead in Isfahan province, activists said.

State radio reported that a 21-year-old member of the paramilitary Basij force was killed in the western city of Kuhdasht in Lorestan province. The provincial justice chief said those responsible would be prosecuted under a policy of "zero tolerance."

Hengaw rejected the official account, saying the victim was not affiliated with the paramilitary unit, which help enforce state control, but was an ordinary civilian shot dead by security forces.

Activists, citing informed sources, said the man was killed by a gunshot to the head at close range. The circumstances surrounding his death could not be independently verified.

Activists also reported serious unrest in the provinces of Fars, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and Kermanshah. In the city of Marvdasht, crowds poured into the streets accompanied by car horn protests, while paramilitary units confronted demonstrators using armoured vehicles and motorcycle units.

It remains unclear how many people have taken part in the protests nationwide in the country of more than 90 million.

The current wave of demonstrations was triggered by a sharp fall in the value of Iran's currency on Sunday. Protests initially broke out among merchants in Tehran before spreading to other regions and social groups. Student organizations, which played a role in previous protest movements, have also called for demonstrations.

Public discontent has been growing for years, driven by a lack of economic prospects, rising hardship and political repression.

During a visit on Thursday to Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, President Pezeshkian warned against political division and acknowledged mistakes by his government. He announced plans to abolish subsidies for importers who had benefited from a state-supported exchange rate, saying the funds should instead be passed directly to consumers.

In unusually candid remarks, the moderate conservative leader said the state and banks bore responsibility for high inflation, accusing them of emptying "the pockets of disadvantaged people" and weakening their purchasing power.

"Our place in hell is if we don't solve the problems of people's livelihoods," the president reportedly said, according to Iranian media.