Sporadic protests in Tehran as clashes reported in Iran’s west

Local media reports intensifying clashes in the west of Iran, as well as sporadic protests have erupted in Tehran and other cities, according to local media.

Shopkeepers staged a strike on December 28 to protest economic issues, but since then, the demonstrations have grown in scope and size as protesters have also made political demands.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei claimed the protests are not quickly picking up momentum, according to Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, who was based in Tehran on Sunday.

According to Khamenei, “from time to time and sporadically, we witness protests, such as last night’s demonstrations in Tehran, Kazerun, and other cities,” he added that 14 people have died as a result of the demonstrations, including security personnel.

If the government is unable to take concrete and practical steps, there may be further escalations.

The semiofficial Fars news agency, which claimed protests on Saturday evening in Tehran were “generally made up of groups of 50 to 200 young people,” described them as “limited.”

There are about 10 million people in Tehran.

According to Fars, there were reports of demonstrations in the capital’s east districts of Novobat and Tehran Pars, west-east, west, and naziabad and abdolabad, respectively.

Reports of violent incidents in Malekshahi

No serious incidents were reported aside from stone throwing and the burning of garbage bins, according to Fars, who claimed that demonstrators chanted slogans like “death to the dictator.”

The news agency called for “an intensification of violence and planned attacks in other regions, particularly the country’s west,” in opposition to Tehran’s current situation.

A security force member was killed in clashes in Malekshahi, a county in western Iran with about 20 000 residents, including a sizable Kurdish population, according to Iranian media reports on Saturday.

According to Fars, “Rioters attempted to storm a police station,” with the death of “two assailants.”

State-run newspapers have downplayed their coverage of the demonstrations, and videos that flood social media frequently are difficult to verify. The accounts of the protests in local media are not exhaustive.

Khamenei’s opening remarks on the demonstrations on Saturday delivered a powerful message.

We converse with protesters. Khamenei remarked that the officials need to speak with them.

“Talking to rioters is not helpful, though. Rotors must be replaced, ” “

Asadi claimed Khamenei’s statement acknowledged the country’s economic issues.

Asadi claimed that this gives the protests on one hand legitimacy from his point of view.

Asadi added that the supreme leader also stated that the government would not tolerate violent demonstrations.