Security forces in Iran deliberately drove an armored vehicle into a crowd of unarmed protesters in Ardabil’s Yahyavi Square on January 8, killing at least one woman and injuring three others.
The shocking incident unfolded amid escalating nationwide demonstrations that began in late December 2025 over the rial’s collapse, runaway inflation, and food shortages.
What started as economic grievances quickly transformed into widespread calls for regime change.
Protesters filled streets across cities, chanting against the Islamic Republic and expressing support for figures like Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.
On January 8 and 9, security forces intensified their crackdown.
Verified video footage from Yahyavi Square captures the moment an armored vehicle—identified as a “Fateq” model used by special police units—accelerates directly into fleeing civilians.
People scatter in panic as the vehicle plows through the group without slowing.
Eyewitness reports and human rights monitors confirm the deliberate nature of the attack.
The assault left one woman dead at the scene and sent three others to hospitals with serious injuries.
Activists and opposition sources describe the tactic as a brutal escalation from earlier methods like live gunfire and beatings.
Amnesty International labeled the broader suppression during this period as involving “massacres of protesters.”
This violence fits into a larger pattern of repression.
Security forces imposed a nationwide internet blackout starting January 8 to block videos and limit global visibility.
Despite the blackout, smuggled footage surfaced, showing similar brutality in cities like Mashhad, Tehran, and Bandar Anzali.
Rights groups report thousands of deaths overall, with some estimates exceeding 30,000 during the peak crackdown days—though independent verification remains challenging.
The regime faced mounting international condemnation.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights urged an end to violent repression and full restoration of communications.
Western governments expressed alarm, with calls growing to designate the IRGC a terrorist organization.
As protests continue sporadically under heavy security presence, the January 8 incident in Ardabil stands as a stark symbol of the regime’s willingness to use lethal force against its own citizens demanding basic rights and economic survival.
