From Tehran’s squares to quiet provincial towns, Iranians of all ages have taken to the streets as economic hardship fuels unprecedented nationwide unrest and a harsh state crackdown.

Videos of buildings and vehicles burning across Tehran and other Iranian cities circulated online as protests that began last month over soaring prices, economic mismanagement, and corruption escalated into deadly clashes and calls for an end to the Islamic Republic.

Human rights groups reported that dozens of protesters had been killed.

The footage also showed large crowds pouring into the streets, with some demonstrators calling for the return of Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was toppled in 1979. Other videos depicted confrontations with security forces. OCCRP was unable to independently verify all of the footage.

Leila, an 18-year-old protester in Tehran, who asked to be identified only by her first name for fear of reprisal, said that “women and men, young and old” had taken to the streets on Friday evening, “even in quiet places you wouldn’t expect.”

“At my grandma’s street corner, where usually not even a bird flies by, everyone has come out,” she told OCCRP, adding that she saw security forces responding to demonstrators with tear gas. “People are protesting against high prices and the incompetence of those in charge.”

Another protester, 34-year-old Raham, described Thursday night’s demonstrations as “apocalyptic” but said he planned to return. “Because if we are not going tonight we will lose this battle—this is our last chance,” he said.

OCCRP was unable to reach additional participants due to severe disruptions in communications. In a post on X on Friday, the internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported that “it has now been 24 hours since Iran implemented a nationwide internet shutdown, with connectivity flatlining at 1% of ordinary levels.”

The unrest began in late December in Tehran following a sharp collapse in the national currency and surging inflation, which have deepened economic hardship for many Iranians.

In a statement on Thursday, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said Iranian authorities had used deadly force, including live ammunition, killing at least 28 protesters and bystanders between December 31 and January 3. The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights reported that security forces had killed 45 people, including eight children, since the unrest began. Hundreds have been injured and more than 2,000 detained, the group said.

The current demonstrations represent the largest wave of protests in Iran since the nationwide Women, Life, Freedom movement of 2022, which was sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in religious custody.

“Those protests were a lot more urban focused,” said Ali Ansari, professor of modern history at the University of St Andrews. He noted that the current unrest had spread into rural areas, drawing parallels with earlier uprisings in 2017 and 2019.

“The problems in the country are structural, and (the Islamic Republic) has never really dealt with them,” Ansari said. “What you’re seeing is a massive kleptocracy that has reached the end of its life.”

Arash Joudaki, a Brussels-based Iranian analyst, echoed Ansari’s assessment, citing the protests’ geographic reach and social diversity. He noted that Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, long a stronghold of religious and wealthy supporters of the regime, had shown signs of unrest, suggesting even core constituencies are becoming disaffected.

In response, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a Friday broadcast on state television that a “bunch of vandals came and destroyed a building,” accusing demonstrators of trying to “please” U.S. President Donald Trump.

Speaking Thursday on The Hugh Hewitt Show, Trump warned that Iran’s leaders would “pay hell” if they carried out a lethal crackdown, reiterating an earlier statement that the United States would “come to the rescue of protesters.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Thursday for “utmost restraint” in handling the demonstrations. “Any violent or coercive behavior should be avoided,” his statement said.=