Violent clashes erupted overnight on Vakil Abad Boulevard in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, as anti-regime protesters confronted security forces in one of the most intense episodes of a rapidly expanding nationwide uprising. Footage from the scene shows demonstrators taking cover behind burning, makeshift barricades while regime forces fired from an elevated footbridge using green laser-sighted rifles, turning a major urban thoroughfare into a battlefield.

The unrest in Mashhad is part of a broader wave of protests now reported in more than 100 cities across Iran. What began as demonstrations over rising inflation and economic collapse has evolved into open calls for regime change. According to human rights organizations, more than 100 people have been killed, including children, as security forces intensify their crackdown. Hospitals in multiple cities are reportedly overwhelmed with wounded civilians, while authorities have imposed widespread internet blackouts in an attempt to suppress information and coordination.

Iranian officials have responded with increasingly extreme rhetoric. The country’s attorney general publicly labeled protesters “enemies of God,” a charge under Iran’s legal system that carries the potential for execution. At the same time, the regime has organized pro-government rallies in select areas, including Kermanshah, in an effort to project control and legitimacy amid growing unrest.

International attention has intensified as the crisis deepens. U.S. President Donald Trump issued statements expressing support for the Iranian people and offering assistance in their pursuit of freedom, drawing sharp warnings from Tehran against what it claims is foreign interference. Meanwhile, Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s ousted shah, has urged protesters to seize key urban centers, further energizing the movement and fueling debate over whether international actors should provide overt support.

Symbolic acts emerging from the protests reflect the depth of public defiance, including reports of demonstrators renaming streets with slogans honoring Trump and calling for the collapse of the Islamic Republic. For the regime, the unrest represents one of the most serious challenges to its authority in decades. For the Iranian people, the scenes in Mashhad underscore both the risks they face and the determination driving a movement that shows no signs of fading.