At least 18 more people have been killed in a day in Iran during nationwide protests. According to human rights organizations, at least five demonstrators were killed by security forces in the northwest on Wednesday.

Both in the city of Bukan in the province of West Azerbaijan and in Sanandash, the capital of the province of Kurdistan, security forces used live ammunition against protesters.

In the central metropolis of Isfahan, unknown persons are said to have killed three members of the Basij militias, state media reported. However, according to eyewitnesses, the majority of the protests in the city were peaceful. In the southwest in the city of Iseh, unknown persons shot at a crowd with assault rifles. The state news agency IRNA spoke of a "terrorist attack".

However, eyewitnesses from the city denied the information from the state media. According to residents, security forces in Iseh opened fire on Wednesday, killing at least ten people, including a child. The city in the province of Khusestan was therefore without the Internet for almost a day.

According to estimates by human rights activists, at least 360 people have been killed in the course of the protests so far. The US-based organization Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that 56 minors and 46 security forces were among the dead. Around 16,000 people were also arrested. The protests have covered more than 140 cities since they began.

The latest wave of protests against the Islamic Republic's authoritarian policies was triggered by the death of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini. She died in police custody on September 16 after being arrested for breaking Islamic dress codes.