Localized Protests Simmer in Kurdish and Arab Provinces

Small but persistent protests continue in Kermanshah, Sanandaj, and Ahvaz as economic conditions deteriorate further. Demonstrators in Kurdish-majority areas chant against both economic mismanagement and ethnic discrimination in resource allocation. In oil-rich Khuzestan, Arab communities point out the bitter irony of living in poverty atop Iran's largest hydrocarbon reserves. Security forces maintain heavy presence but avoid large-scale confrontation, suggesting the regime is wary of triggering broader unrest before the holidays.