Nationwide protests in Iran sparked by an economic crisis have been going on for nearly two weeks now, with deaths in violence surrounding the demonstrations reaching 116, according to estimates by human rights groups.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has offered estimates in previous rounds of unrest as well, gave the new figure, saying more than 2,600 people have been arrested amid a suspension of internet as the government hardens its stance against protesters.
Anti-government chants filled the air in the streets of Iran on Saturday night as the movement gained traction, with people now asking for theocracy to be ousted in the country that has been battling hyper-inflation and falling value of the currency, especially due to US sanctions.
As crowds gathered in the north of the Iranian capital, banging pots and setting off fireworks while asking for the clerical authorities to be shunted out, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei signalled a coming clampdown, despite warnings from US President Donald Trump that America was “ready to help” the movement and order military action.
“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Also Read: US to blame for violent Iran protests: Iranian ambassador to UN
Following a renewed call by Iran’s deposed shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, urging Iranians to “seize more cities” and escalate protests, Iran’s attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God”, a death-penalty charge.
Iranian authorities had earlier called for “restraint” and announced a slew of measures in an attempt to address people’s grievances in the days after protests first broke out on December 28. However, rights groups in the country have reported intensifying clampdown by the regime, with internet services cut, as per monitor Netblocks.
Other human rights watch groups such as Amnesty International and the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group have shared “distressing” reports of security forces using lethal force against protesters since Thursday and bodies of people shot dead in the protests on the floor of Alghadir hospital in eastern Tehran.
The Iran Human Rights group has pegged the death toll to 51 people, but warned the actual number could be much higher. “These images provide further evidence of the excessive and lethal use of force against protesters,” IHR said.
Persian-language TV channels outside Iran showed large protest groups swelling in the capital city of Tehran, as well as in the eastern city of Mashhad, Tabriz in the northern part and the holy city of Qom.
In the western city of Hamedan, a man was seen waving a shah-era Iranian flag featuring the lion and the sun amid fires and people dancing. The same flag also briefly replaced the Iranian flag over Iran’s embassy in London, a news agency reported.
Meanwhile, state TV on Saturday broadcast images of funerals for several members of the security forces who were killed in the protests. It also showed images of buildings, including a mosque, on fire.
Iran’s army said in a statement that it would “vigorously protect and safeguard national interests” against an “enemy seeking to disrupt order and peace”.
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