• Authorities blame unrest on “rioters”.
• Opposition parties call for general strike.
• At least 27 protesters killed in protests.

Security forces used tear gas and live fire to disperse protesters in Iran, rights groups said on Thursday, as people angered by economic crisis kept up their challenge to the authorities and exiled opposition groups urged new protests as well as strikes.

Twelve days of protests have shaken the clerical authorities under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei already battling economic crisis after years of sanctions and recovering from the June war against Israel.

The movement, which originated with a shutdown on the Tehran bazaar on December 28 after the rial plunged to record lows, has spread nationwide and is now being marked by larger scale demonstrations.

Authorities have blamed unrest on “rioters” and the judiciary chief has vowed there would be “no leniency” in bringing them to justice.

On Wednesday, an Iranian police officer was stabbed to death in west of Tehran “during efforts to control unrest”, the Iranian Fars news agency said.

Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah ousted by the 1979 Islamic revolution and a key exiled opposition figure, said the turnout on Wednesday had been “unprecedented” in this wave of demonstrations and called for major new protests on Thursday evening.

He said in a message on social media he had received reports the “regime is deeply frightened and is attempting, once again, to cut off the internet” to thwart the protests.

Iraq-based Iranian Kurdish opposition parties, including the Komala party which is outlawed by Tehran, called for a general strike on Thursday in Kurdish-populated areas in western Iran which have seen intense protest activity.

Soleimani statues attacked

The HRANA monitor published a video of protesters in Kuhchenar in the southern Fars province cheering overnight as they pulled down a statue of the former foreign operations commander of the Revolutionary Guards Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in January 2020 and is hailed as a national hero by the Islamic republic.

Persian-language TV channels based outside Iran also posted images of a statue of Soleimani in the central city of Kashan being set on fire. It was not immediately possible to verify the images.

HRANA said that according to its count, protests had taken place in 348 locations over the last 11 days in all of Iran’s 31 provinces.

It also published a video of people massing late at night in the Tehran satellite city of Karaj and lighting fires in the streets and also images of security forces using tear gas to disperse a protest in the Caspian Sea town of Tonekabon.

Images it said were taken on Wednesday in the western city of Abadan showing security forces firing on protesters.

The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said security forces on Wednesday “opened fire on protesters, used tear gas and violently assaulted civilians” during a protest in the key southeastern hub of Kerman.

The Hengaw rights group, which focuses on Kurds and other ethnic minorities in western Iran, said the call for a strike had been widely followed in some 30 towns and cities, posting footage of shuttered shops in the western provinces of Ilam, Kermanshah and Lorestan.

‘Unlawful force’

The protests are being characterised by larger-scale demonstrations, with hundreds marching through a main avenue in the northeastern city of Bojnord on Wednesday in a video verified by AFP.

Demonstrators are repeating slogans against the clerical leadership including “this is the final battle, Pahlavi will return” and “Seyyed Ali will be toppled”, in reference to Khamenei.

IHR said on Tuesday at least 27 protesters including five teenagers under the age of 18, have been confirmed to have been killed in a crackdown on the protests, warning the death toll will climb as more killings are verified.

The protests are the biggest in Iran for three years after the last major protest wave in 2022-2023 which was sparked by the custody death of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women.

Rights groups have also accused authorities of resorting to tactics including raiding hospitals to detain wounded protesters.

“More than 10 days of protests have been met with unlawful force,” said Amnesty International. “Iran’s security forces have injured and killed both protesters and bystanders,” it added.

• US embassy warns arrests can revoke student visas.
• Embassy cites deportation risk and future visa ineligibility.
• “A US visa is a privilege, not a right,” embassy says.

The US embassy in India warned on Thursday that arrests or violations of US laws can lead to student visa revocation, deportation and future ineligibility for US visas.

In a post on X, the embassy’s account @USAndIndia said: “Breaking US laws can have serious consequences for your student visa.” 

“If you are arrested or violate any laws, your visa may be revoked, you may be deported, and you could be ineligible for future US visas. Follow the rules and don’t jeopardise your travel. A US visa is a privilege, not a right,” it added.

The warning follows other recent messaging by the US embassy in New Delhi on visa compliance.

In December, the embassy said it would deny tourist visa applications if consular officers believe the trip is primarily aimed at giving birth in the United States to secure US citizenship for a child.

“This is not permitted,” the embassy said in a post on X.

Gulf News reported the move added to uncertainty for Indian visa holders, including professionals who account for over 70% of H-1B approvals and nearly 90% of H-4 visas with work authorisation. 

The US Embassy in India has also rescheduled visa interviews for some applicants, issuing fresh appointment dates extending to mid-2026.

Separately, the Trump administration in September proposed changes to rework the H-1B visa selection process to favour higher-skilled and better-paid workers, a Federal Register notice said. 

The proposal followed a White House proclamation introducing a $100,000 fee for the visas. 

If annual requests exceed the statutory limit of 85,000, the notice said, heavier weight would be given to applications by employers who pay high wages, with the stated aim of protecting Americans from unfair wage competition from foreign workers.

President Trump, a Republican, sought to reshape the H-1B process during his 2017–2021 presidency, but was stymied by federal courts and limited time at the end of his presidency.

Tighter US immigration policies are also feeding into wider concerns in India. 

Matchmakers, academics and prospective brides and grooms say families are less inclined to marry their children to Indian citizens based in the US, citing fears that potential partners could lose their job or immigration status. There is no official government data on marriages between Indian citizens living at home and overseas.

Indian government figures put the US Indian diaspora at around 2.1 million Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). Since returning to office in January, Trump has launched a broad immigration crackdown, including efforts to limit legal pathways to residency. 

Indians accounted for 71% of H-1B visas last year, while US Citizenship and Immigration Services data show that about 75% of H-1B visas issued to Indian citizens in 2024 were awarded to men.

For students, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement data show there were 422,335 Indian students in the US in 2024, with visa-policy uncertainty prompting many to rethink the “American Dream”.

CHONGQING, CHINA: Outstretching his hands in a signature Donald Trump pose, impersonator Ryan Chen mimics the US president’s voice and gestures with such accuracy that he has become a social media phenomenon with his funny videos.

The 42-year-old from southwest China does not engage in political satire — a minefield in the country that can lead to account suspension — but has amassed millions of followers across Instagram, TikTok and Chinese platforms.

“Trump is an endless well that never runs dry, because he draws more online traffic than anyone else on the planet,” Chen told AFP in his hometown of Chongqing, which itself has gone viral over its labyrinthine cityscape and spicy food.

During his videos, which are in English with Chinese subtitles, Chen lightheartedly presents Chinese cuisine, customs, cultural differences, jokes with foreigners and dances to Village People´s “YMCA”, one of Trump´s trademark stage songs.

And all his clips are peppered with Trump´s unmistakable mannerisms and buzzwords like “tremendous” and “amazing”.

“I’m not into politics, but I think he is a very good entertainer,” said Chen of the American president, whom he followed when Trump hosted the reality TV show “The Apprentice”.

“If I imitate him, it´s not to make fun of him. It´s to get attention,” he told AFP in a white cowboy hat.

“With that attention, I can boost my career, as well as promote China and my hometown.”

‘Like a neighbour’

Chen stumbled across his online fame by chance, only taking off in 2025 with Trump´s return to the White House.

The fan of “Friends” and “The Big Bang Theory” — who had never visited the United States before this year — started making online videos to teach English as a “back-up plan” from his job in architecture, a sector hit hard by the property crisis in China.

He had moderate success, but his videos only went viral after a friend challenged him to imitate Trump.

His appearance in April on a livestream by IShowSpeed, an American YouTuber with over 47 million subscribers who was visiting China at the time, further boosted his visibility.

Chen said Trump has become such a big part of his life he now feels a certain familiarity with him, “like a next-door neighbour”.

He sees himself as a “bridge” between international internet users eager to discover urban China, its “lively” atmosphere, and Chinese people keen to understand foreign humour and cultures.

The impersonator now has more than a million followers on Instagram, almost as many on TikTok, and more than 2.5 million on Chinese platforms, and is recognised on the streets.

Chen, who learned English by watching his favourite American series, said his secret is to sound like a “native speaker”.

Another imperative is to “stay tuned” to news on Trump, who is “a goldmine of funny material”, according to Chen, who said he also draws inspiration from American impressionists of the president.

‘Try our hotpot’

The impersonator, whose real name is Chen Rui, said he is now able to make a living from his work through promotion, events and corporate parties.

“My main source of income is advertising,” he said, with brands for cars, digital products, games or milk hiring him for their campaigns.

In a sign his work has not upset the Trump administration, Chen announced in a video he had obtained a visa for the United States, which he is currently visiting for the first time.

And with Trump set to visit China this year, Chen called on the president to travel to Chongqing and “try our hotpot”, which is famously spicy.

While a meeting between the real Trump and his Chinese impersonator would “probably be cool”, Chen said he has no “burning desire” to do so because it would quickly become a diplomatic affair.

“I’m just a comedian,” he said. “I have no political aspirations.