"The semi-official Fars news agency and rights group Hengaw reported deaths in Lordegan, a city in western Iran," Reuters writes. "Authorities confirmed one death in the western city of Kuhdasht, and Hengaw reported another death in the central province of Isfahan."

At least one among the dead is reported to be a government security force member, as demonstrators clash with police, and amid some reports of possible live fire being used to quell the unrest.

"A member of Iran's security forces was killed during a fourth day of protests in the country, which have been sparked by a currency collapse, officials have said," BBC reports.

"Citing regional chief justice Saeed Shahvari, Iran's judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency said Amir Hessam Khodayari Fard was killed in the city of Kouhdasht, in the western Lorestan province, on Wednesday," it added, stating that several more police and security members were injured, mostly as a result of stone-throwing.

He was said to be a member of the Basij - a paramilitary force linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). In several locales Basij members have been observed supporting local police forces, as is typical whenever major anti-government protests flare up.

"Footage verified by BBC Persian appears to show security forces firing at protesters in the city on the same day," the report also notes.

But the government's counter-narrative has quickly emerged, with state-linked Fars News Agency citing an "informed source" to say that "armed protesters" have stirred up anti-police violence.

Fox: "Footage shows protesters tearing down a government gate in southern Iran. Businesses shut. Universities closed. Offices locked down."

What started Sunday as shopkeepers in a prominent Tehran market shuttering their doors in protest of a collapsing currency and soaring prices has now spread to the youth and the universities. 

Schools and public buildings have been closed across the country on Thursday in order to control the spread of the protests, in what's being widely reported as a last-minute, possibly desperate decision of the central government.

This after crowds have sought to break into government buildings - for example, groups broke the gate of the governor's office in the city of Fasa in the southern province of Fars. Security are seen shooting to try and drive them back, and dispersing tear gas.