India, Jan. 9 -- A video showing an elderly woman confronting Iran's Islamic authorities has spread widely on social media, becoming a powerful symbol of growing unrest across the country. The clip emerged as the government stepped up its crackdown on anti-regime protests driven by economic distress and public frustration.

The footage, recorded during a night-time protest in Tehran, shows the woman walking through the streets while chanting slogans against the government.

She appears to have a red liquid around her mouth, though it remains unclear whether it is blood or paint used as a form of protest.

"I'm not afraid. I've been dead for 47 years," she shouts in the video.

Sharing the clip on X, Iranian-American journalist and activis...