Violent protests in Iran are ongoing and the death toll mounting, for which it blames the US. Activists said on Friday that the total deaths in the clashes between protesters and the police had jumped to at least 62, while 2,300 are in detention.
The country’s United Nations ambassador told the Security Council on Friday in a letter that the United States is to blame for the “transformation of peaceful protests into violent, subversive acts and widespread vandalism”.
Earlier in the day, the country’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of ousted Shah, called on the Iranian people to step-up demonstrations and appealed to the US President Donald Trump to “be prepared to intervene to help the people of Iran”, even as Trump has repeatedly announced that the US is “keeping a close eye” on developments in Tehran, and that it will not tolerate more protester killings.
Meanwhile, on Friday, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, addressed the protests for the first time, asking his people to “not ruin their streets” at the behest of the US. He warned protesters of security forces’ crackdown, and challenged Trump’s pledge to support those peacefully demonstrating.
Iranian state media also accused “terrorist agents” of the US and Israel of setting fires and sparking violence in recent demonstrations against an ailing economy, falling currency rates and economic stagnation.
Also Read: Iran state TV warns of ‘casualties’ as protests escalate
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