Iran's protests continued for a ninth consecutive day with at least 1,203 people arrested and 29 deaths confirmed, expatriate-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported on January 5.

Protests occurred in 257 locations across 88 cities in 27 provinces, with 17 universities also witnessing student demonstrations. The death toll includes two members of security forces, whilst 64 protesters sustained injuries, mostly from pellet and plastic bullets.

According to interviews conducted by bne IntelliNews, cities including Tehran and Karaj had seen a drop in protests in recent hours following the announcement of the nationalised funding programme. 

HRANA said seven people were killed in the past 24 hours, including Reza Moradi Abdolvand in Azna, Sajad Babaei in Qorveh, Mohammad Ghasem Roosta in Marvdasht, Mansour Mokhtari in Marvdasht, Erfan Bozorgi in Marvdasht, Vahab Ghaedi in Azna and Mostafa Fallahi in Azna.

Emtedad newspaper confirmed at least 12 people were wounded and three killed in Malekshahi following security forces' use of live ammunition. The geographic pattern shows protests are not concentrated solely in major cities but have spread to smaller towns across various regions.

State media broadcast forced confessions from four detained citizens in Tehran, Mallard, Parand and Darreh Shahr on January 5. The circumstances under which the videos were recorded remain unclear, with serious questions about how the confessions were obtained.

Internet restrictions continued through selective disruption rather than complete shutdowns. Connection quality degraded sufficiently to make practical use of the internet for communication, messaging and coordination difficult. The approach relies on eroding network functionality rather than obvious disconnection.

Protests began with strikes and professional gatherings but have evolved to include street assemblies and student demonstrations at universities. Chants address economic demands, criticism of governance methods, objections to restrictions on individual and social freedoms, and calls for justice.

Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called protesters "rioters" and "chaos-seekers", claiming links to "spy services". The judiciary chief threatened detained individuals with firm treatment, stating "there will be no leniency" and ordering prosecution of those who helped protesters even if they did not participate directly.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Lorestan province announced the end of "the period of tolerance", stating organisers of unrest would be identified and dealt with legally in the shortest possible time.

Later on January 5, President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the Interior Minister to conduct a comprehensive investigation into unrest and incidents in Ilam province, Eghtesad Online reported on January 5, citing Daneshjoo.

Pezeshkian instructed the minister to form a special team of relevant officials to examine various aspects of incidents in Ilam, the causes and underlying factors of the unrest, and how authorities responded. The team must submit a comprehensive report to the President's office as soon as possible.

The president said making correct and effective decisions regarding social and security incidents requires accurate understanding of field conditions, hearing different viewpoints, and responsible and impartial examination of reports.

He stressed the necessity of transparency and accurate explanation of events.