Anti-government protests in Iran spread further across the country on Thursday. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO reported that 45 demonstrators have now been killed by Iranian security forces since the unrest began in late December. The demonstrations began last month with protests in the capital, Tehran, over Iran's economic woes and plunging currency. They have since morphed into a movement that is challenging the legitimacy of the country's ruling Islamic government.

On Thursday, mass protests were held in Tehran. According to images on social media verified by the AFP news agency, protesters massed on Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard, a key avenue in the northwest of the Iranian capital. Protests were also reported in other areas, such as Kurdish regions in the western part of the country, Tabriz in the north and the holy city of Mashhad in the east.