Demonstrations enter their seventh day with clashes, use of force by authorities and direct criticism of the regime amid the economic crisis
Several protesters died in the on the seventh day of protests, which continued until late Saturday night (3) in around 12 cities across the country, in some of which clashes with security forces were recorded.
The mobilizations, on their seventh consecutive day, took place in cities such as Tehran, Shiraz, Mashad, Isfahan, Karaj and Malekshahi, among others, with slogans against the Islamic Republic.
Images released by activists on social media show a strong deployment of police and security forces, as well as the use of tear gas, shooting and arrests in different cities.
In Malekshahi, in the west of the country, strong clashes were recorded between protesters and riot forces which, according to the “Fars” news agency, caused the death of three people.
The agency, linked to the Revolutionary Guard, described what happened as “almost terrorist disturbances” in the city of Malekshahi, and indicated that armed protesters confronted the agents.
According to data from the Iranian opposition NGO Hrana, based in the around 60 cities in 25 provinces in Iran have been the scene of protests since last Sunday, in which at least 16 people died, including an agent, and at least 582 were detained.
Official media described an environment of unrest in the country, attributed to armed protesters or foreign actors, whom Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei accused yesterday of abusing traders’ economic protests.
The protests began last Sunday in Tehran, initially driven by traders and sectors affected by the deteriorating economic situation, the collapse of the rial and high inflation.
However, as the days went by, the mobilizations acquired a marked political character, with direct slogans against the country’s leadership and the Islamic Republic system.
Iran is going through a deep economic crisis, with annual inflation exceeding 42% and interannual inflation that in December exceeded 52% in relation to the same month of the previous year, in a context marked by severe sanctions from the United States and against the country due to its nuclear program.
*With EFE
