Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran

Tehran, Dec 31: Iranian officials have confirmed an attack on a government building in the southern city of Fasa amid ongoing protests fuelled by worsening economic conditions, while maintaining that the situation remains contained.

According to Mizan, the justice ministry’s news agency, a group of individuals damaged parts of the provincial governor’s office on Wednesday. Hamed Ostovar, head of Fasa’s judiciary, said the main entrance door and glass panels of the building were broken during the incident. Police intervened swiftly, arresting four suspects, while three police personnel sustained injuries. Ostovar dismissed online claims of a protester’s death, calling them false and baseless rumours.

The incident follows several days of demonstrations triggered by public anger over rising prices, a sharply weakening currency and prolonged economic stagnation. The protests reportedly began on Sunday at Tehran’s largest mobile phone market, where traders shut down shops in protest, and later spread to university students in the capital and other cities such as Isfahan, Yazd and Zanjan. Despite the spread, authorities say the demonstrations have remained limited in size and largely restricted to parts of central Tehran.

Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad acknowledged that economic grievances were “legitimate”, but warned that acts leading to insecurity or damage to public property would be met with strict legal action. His remarks came amid Iranian accusations of foreign interference, after online messages attributed to Israel’s Mossad urged Iranians to take part in street protests.

Iran’s economy has been under sustained pressure due to long-standing US and international sanctions related to its nuclear programme. Over the past year, the national currency, the rial, has lost more than a third of its value, significantly increasing import costs and burdening businesses. Official data places inflation at over 50 per cent as of December.

In response to the unrest, security forces have been deployed at key intersections and near universities in Tehran, with water cannon vehicles visible on major roads. Authorities also announced sudden bank and school closures, officially citing cold weather and energy conservation needs. President Masoud Pezeshkian said he had instructed officials to hold talks with protesters regarding their “legitimate demands,” while cautioning against attempts to exploit the situation for destabilisation.