Shafaq News– Tehran

Thousands of Iranians took to the streets across the country, local media outlets reported on Monday, answering to official calls condemning “rioters and armed terrorists” as unrest continues to sweep the nation.

Tasnim News reported that the gatherings denounced the “acts and crimes of rioters and armed terrorists,” while Al-Alam TV captured thousands of citizens, including families of those killed during the recent unrest, joining a march against the “crimes of armed terrorists and saboteurs.” Similar rallies appeared across provincial capitals, it added.

Today’s rallies follow an earlier call by the Islamic Development Coordination Council, urging nationwide participation against what it described as “terrorist acts carried out by agents of the United States and Israel.”

Nationwide economic protests erupted on December 28 after the Iranian rial dropped to a record low of about 1.45 million per US dollar, triggering sharp increases in food prices and inflation. Demonstrations have since spread to cities across the country.

While Iranian authorities have not released official casualty or arrest figures, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that as of January 12, at least 544 people had been killed and 10,681 arrested. HRANA documented protests at 585 locations across all 31 provinces.

Separately, HRANA indicated that cumulative reporting by Iranian state and IRGC-affiliated media shows more than 100 members of security forces—including police, Basij, and IRGC personnel—have been killed since the unrest began.

Read more: Iran’s protests between economic crisis and political contestation