Iran Protests Turn Deadly: On-Duty Police Officers Shot, Stabbed Amid Cost-of-Living Unrest

Near Tehran, police officer Shahin Dehghan was stabbed to death while attempting to control unrest in Malard county, according to Iranian media. In a separate incident in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, another officer was shot dead in what authorities describe as a drive-by attack by unknown assailants. Video footage of the shooting has circulated widely on social media.

The protests, driven largely by cost-of-living pressures, have spread across multiple regions but have not yet reached the scale of the demonstrations sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini. Authorities say investigations are underway to identify those responsible as security concerns intensify across the country.