Ayatollah Ali Khamenei granted pardons to over 2,100 convicts, but those involved in recent nationwide protests in Iran were excluded. Protests against living costs escalated into anti-government demonstrations, resulting in thousands of deaths and detentions. The Iranian government attributes the violence to 'terrorist acts,' while activists claim the death toll is much higher. The crackdown on dissent continues, with arrests in the reformist movement and a new sentence for Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi.