By Mostafa Salem, CNN
(CNN) — Anti-government protests in Iran erupted for a thirteenth consecutive day on Friday, in a wave of nationwide unrest that marks the biggest challenge to the regime in years.
Authorities cut off internet access and telephone lines on Thursday – the biggest night of nationwide demonstrations so far – leaving Iran largely cut off from the outside world. Rights groups said dozens of people have been killed since the protests began.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to attack Iran if security forces respond with force. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has urged Trump to “focus on his own country” and blamed the US for inciting the protests.
As public anger continues to swell and demonstrations continue, here’s what you need to know.
What triggered the protests?
The protests began as demonstrations in Tehran’s bazaars over rampant inflation but have spread across the country and morphed into more general protests against the regime.
Concerns over inflation came to a head last week, when the prices of basic goods like cooking oil and chicken dramatically spiked overnight, with some products vanishing from shelves all together.
Exacerbating the situation was a decision by the central bank to end a program allowing some importers to access cheaper US dollars compared to the rest of the market – which led shopkeepers to increase prices and some to shutter their doors, initiating the demonstrations.
The move by the bazaaris, as they are known, is a drastic measure for a group traditionally supportive of the Islamic Republic.
The reformist-ruled government attempted to alleviate the pressure by offering direct cash handouts of almost $7 per month, but the move has failed to quell the unrest.
How widespread are the protests?
The latest protests are the biggest in scale since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in custody of the religious police prompted the widespread “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests.
People across more than 100 cities have participated in the demonstrations, which began nearly two weeks ago.
The protests have spread to Iranian provinces as far west as Ilam, a Kurdish-majority region bordering Iraq, and Lorestan, both which have emerged as restive hotspots. Fueled by ethnic division and poverty, crowds set fire to the streets and chanted “Death to Khamenei,” directly challenging Khamenei, who holds ultimate authority over the nation’s religious and state affairs.
Iranian state affiliated Fars news agency said 950 police forces and 60 personnel from the paramilitary Basij force have been injured in the protests mostly in confrontations with “rioters” in western provinces “equipped with firearms, grenades, and weapons.”
At least 45 protesters, including eight children, have been killed since demonstrations began, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO (IHRNGO) reported Thursday. It said hundreds more have been injured and over 2,000 people detained. CNN could not independently verify the numbers of those killed and arrested, and Iranian state news organizations have sometimes reported individual deaths without reporting a comprehensive tally.
How are the protests different this time?
The fact that the recent protests began with the bazaaris – a powerful force for change in Iran’s history and one seen as loyal to the regime – is notable.
The enduring alliance between the bazaaris and the clergy in Iran had the shopkeepers play a crucial role as kingmaker across Iran’s history. It was th