Asadabad residents stand firm amid gunfire, tear gas

Residents of Pian, a village near Izeh, joined nationwide protests on Wednesday. Pian is the home village of Artin Rahmani, a 17 year old protestor killed during the 2022 protests in Izeh.

According to a video received by Iran International, protestors chanted slogans including “Scream Seyyed Ali (Khamenei); Pahlavi is on his way” and “Artin was torn apart, a sacrifice to the homeland."

A group of protesters took to the streets in the western town of Dehloran in Ilam province on Wednesday night, chanting “This is the national slogan: Reza, Reza Pahlavi,” videos sent to Iran International show.

Republican Senator Pete Ricketts called for increased pressure on the government in Iran as people take to the streets to demand change.

“We must continue to ratchet up pressure on the ayatollah and his band of thugs, while supporting the brave Iranian people who risk their lives in their pursuit of freedom,” the Nebraska senator posted on X on Wednesday.​

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is a corrupt, terrorist regime that brutally represses and murders its own people. It is clearly willing to sacrifice the livelihood of every single Iranian just to stay in power,” he said.

Senator Rick Scott of Florida said he feels encouraged by the protests in Iran and hopes they will continue and lead to a change of leadership in the country.

“As we look at the start of a new year, it’s encouraging to see Iranian protests that call for an end to the abusive Iranian dictatorship,” Scott posted on X on Wednesday. “I hope the people of Iran continue to stand up to the evil Iranian regime.”

Iranian director Jafar Panahi shared a video of protesters in Iran, saying that “shared pain has now turned into a cry in the streets” and that the protests are an uprising “to push history forward.”

“Shared pain has now turned into a cry in the streets; for four days people have stood firm, not just to shout but to change. The streets are not claimed by guns, but by determination,” Panahi wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.

“When there is nothing left to lose, fear crumbles, voices merge, silence breaks, and the way back closes. This uprising is a decision of will: to stay, to push forward, and to move history,” he added.