Iran warned on Sunday that protesters will “pay the price” after a third night of unrest saw mass demonstrations across the country, two people killed and dozens arrested, Track Persia repots.
Videos on social media showed thousands marching across the country overnight in the biggest test for the Islamic republic since mass protests in 2009. They showed demonstrations in Mashhad, Isfahan and many smaller cities but travel restrictions and limited coverage by official media made it difficult to confirm reports.
State media began to show footage of the protests on Sunday, focusing on attacks by young men against banks and vehicles, an attack on a town hall in Tehran, and images of a man burning the Iranian flag.
“Those who damage public property, disrupt order and break the law must be responsible for their behavior and pay the price. The spreading of violence, fear and terror will definitely be confronted,” Interior Minister Abdolrahman Rahmani Fazli said on state television.
Police have so far taken a relatively soft approach to the unrest and there has been no sign that the Revolutionary Guards have yet been deployed. But The Revolutionary Guard — whose mandate is to safeguard the Islamic Revolution — warned late Saturday that it would respond with “a hard punch” if demonstrations didn’t stop.
Protesters “must certainly know that improper behavior will be to their detriment, and the nation will come out and stand against these actions and throw a hard punch in their faces,” the Revolutionary Guard’s commander for security in Tehran, Brigadier General Esmail Kowsari, said, according to a statement carried by the semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency late Saturday.
Iranian state TV has reported that 12 people have been killed amid nationwide protests, without elaborating. Among the 12 were two protesters who were shot dead overnight in the small town of Izeh in southwestern Iran, a member of parliament told Iranian media on Monday. Two more people were run over by a “government vehicle” in Lorestan province, the governor of the area said.
Fear and confusion within the regime more than ever before as the uprising of the Iranian people is escalating. Meanwhile, the mullahs’ regime shut down schools in Tehran and many cities under the pretext of “air pollution” for today and tomorrow.
However, on the fourth day of the nationwide uprising of the Iranian people to overthrow the mullahs’ regime, the regime’s officials were compelled to acknowledge the anger and disgust of the people against the regime and the extent of the uprising. The mullahs’ interior minister said today:
“The events of the last few days have caused concern, sadness and discomfort for our dear people, and the created atmosphere has damaged the security of the country.”
Everyone knows that the meaning of “dear people” and “the country” is nothing but the criminal gangs and corrupt mullahs of this regime who have destroyed Iran’s assets and have killed the people for 39 years. Meanwhile, Mehr, the state news agency, wrote today that the PMOI /MEK”is behind the recent turmoil and manages it.” Ali Asghar Nasser, the security and law enforcement deputy of Tehran governorate, said:
“A few individuals yesterday disrupted the people’s comfort, and they were arrested quickly.” He added these few people threw “stones at the police force, damaged police vehicles, and broke windows of the banks.
In Tuyserkan, the people booed the anti-riot unit that was making a lot of noise to intimidate the people. The regime’s mercenaries fired tear gas to disperse the protesters. The people set ablaze a government vehicle in front of the governorate. Following a brutal attack of the Revolutionary Guards on the crowd, one of the demonstrators was martyred, and some other wounded. The angry people chanted “Down with Khamenei” and set fire to a government vehicle and many parts of the governorate.
In Doroud, the brave people were demonstrating while chanting “death to the dictator”, and “Vigilant people, Support, Support”, and “Fellow citizens, we are waiting for you.” In Tehran, in the Enqelab (Revolution) Square, the police attacked the people who were chanting “Death to Dictator”; however, it turned to a clash. At the University of Tehran, while the security forces are stationed in front of the university, the students are chanting “No embezzlement, No JCPOA, just Resistance”.
At Azadi Square in Kermanshah, the police attacked the crowd and it turned to clashes. The criminal IRGC forces severely beat and injured the youth. A government vehicle was burnt by protesters.
A video has surfaced on social media showing a member of the Basij force in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps falling into the hands of demonstrators in the city of Kermanshah after being attacked with a taser. In the video, the man can be seen attacked and violently kicked by a group of demonstrators. The video emerges after a long night of persistent protests that ignited in Iran four days ago as citizens demonstrate against the Iranian regime.
As of Monday, nearly 370 demonstrators have been arrested as the demonstrations continue to sprout across the country. Iranian state television says security forces have repelled “armed protesters” who tried to take over police stations and military bases. State TV said:
“Some armed protesters tried to take over some police stations and military bases but faced serious resistance from security forces.”
It did not say where the attacks took place.
Some online videos in recent days have purported to show protesters attacking police stations. Other videos have shown protesters peacefully demonstrating and welcoming police. The protests began Thursday in Mashhad over economic issues and have since expanded to several cities. Hundreds of people have been arrested.