Video: Iranian Cop Chased In Car, Shot Dead Amid Anti-Khamenei Protests

As protests over economic distress paralyse Iran's law and order situation, a video has emerged showing a cop being killed by unknown assailants in a drive-by shooting in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan. Unrest broke out in Iran last month after merchants in Tehran staged a protest against rising prices and the collapse of the rial, triggering a wave of similar actions in other cities.

The demonstrations have spread to at least 25 of Iran's 31 provinces, leaving dozens killed, including personnel from security forces.

On Thursday, a clip went viral showing an unidentified assailant opening fire on a cop car until it veers off the road and crashes. The video has been shot from the assailant's vehicle, who is seen leaning out of the window with only the tip of the gun visible and constantly firing at the cop car.

#فوری
ویدئو لحظه ترور محمود حقیقت فرمانده پاسگاه ایرانشهر و فرمانده سابق حفاظت اطلاعات

🔴 مزدوران رژیم ببینند چه عاقبتی در انتظار آنهاست اگر دست از حمایت از این رژیم جنایتکار برندارند !#اعتراضات_سراسری pic.twitter.com/jvm2LYsSyj

— 𝘼𝙨𝙝𝙠𝙊𝙛𝙄𝙧𝙖𝙣 (@AshkOfIran) January 7, 2026

According to Iranian media reports, the dead cop was identified as Mahmoud Haghighat, a member of the security forces in Iranshahr.

In the early hours of Wednesday, unknown individuals opened fire on one of the personnel of the Law Enforcement Forces (Police) of Iranshahr County, which led to his martyrdom.

Militant group Jaish al-Adl, which describes itself as seeking greater rights for the ethnic Baluch minority, has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the WANA news agency. The Sunni militant group has recently joined forces with several smaller Baluch paramilitary groups to form a new coalition targeting Iran's clerical establishment.

Another Cop Killed In Iran

Another Iranian police officer was killed in a stabbing during unrest near the capital, Tehran, as protests over the cost of living in the country entered their 12th day.

Shahin Dehghan, a member of the police force in Malard County west of Tehran, "was martyred a few hours ago after being stabbed during efforts to control unrest," Fars news agency reported, adding that efforts to identify the perpetrators are underway.

Anti-Khamenei Protests in Iran

The unrest began last month in Tehran's centuries-old Grand Bazaar, where shopkeepers shut down their businesses to protest the sharp decline of Iran's rial currency. Since then, demonstrations have spread across the country, fuelled by public anger over worsening economic conditions, Western sanctions, alleged mismanagement by authorities, and restrictions on political and social freedoms.

Several videos emerged from Iran, where protestors were seen marching against Iran's Islamic regime led by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and raising slogans like "Until the mullah is shrouded, this homeland will not be free" and "Mullahs must leave Iran".

More than 30 people have been killed since the protests began, and thousands have reportedly been arrested. Iranian authorities have not released an official figure of deaths during protesters but have said that at least two members of the security forces have been killed and more than a dozen others injured.

On Thursday, Iran's top judicial authority, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, warned that there will be "no leniency" for anyone accused of aiding what he described as the "enemy against the Islamic Republic", as nationwide protests intensify across the country.

He alleged that the United States and Israel were behind efforts to incite chaos and unrest in Iran. The warning came days after US President Donald Trump said Washington would intervene if Tehran "violently kills peaceful protesters".

The current movement is the most serious protest movement in the Islamic Republic since the 2022-2023 nationwide rallies sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women.

The demonstrations have yet to reach the scale of the 2022-2023 movement, let alone that of the mass 2009 street protests that followed disputed elections.

But they have presented a new challenge for Iran's leadership against the backdrop of a biting economic crisis and on the heels of the 12-day war with Israel last June.