DUBAI ― At least 25 people have been killed in Iran during the first nine days of protests that started in the bazaar of Tehran over the plunging value of the currency and soaring inflation, according to rights groups. The protests have spread to some cities in western and southern Iran but do not match the scale of unrest that swept the nation in 2022-23 over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in the custody of Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code. However, even though smaller, these protests have quickly expanded from an economic focus to broader frustrations, with some protesters chanting against the country’s clerical rulers. Iran also remains under international pressure, with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening on Friday to come to the aid of protesters in Iran if security forces fired on them. In response, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed not to “yield to the enemy.” Hengaw, a Kurdish Iranian rights group, put the death toll at 25, including four people under 18. It said more than 1,000 people had bee
