Sunday, December 31, 2017

Iran warns protesters will 'pay the price' as unrest turns deadly

Tehran (AFP) - 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.
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 behaviour and pay the price," Interior Minister Abdolrahman Rahmani Fazli said on state television.
"The spreading of violence, fear and terror will definitely be confronted," he added.
Lorestan province deputy governor Habibollah Khojastehpour told state television that two people were killed in the small western town of Dorud late on Saturday but denied security forces were responsible. READ MORE