Iran Protests In Pictures: Protesters Take To Streets Opposing Government

In the biggest public discontent against the Iranian government since the 2009 Green Movement, protests against Iran President Hassan Rouhani continued for the fourth consecutive day Sunday.

In a crackdown on protesters, the government blocked many social media apps, including Instagram, which were being allegedly used to incite unrest.

The protests which began Thursday mainly over economic grievances, has since evolved to include calls for the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini to step down, the Guardian reported.

Two protesters were killed in the town of Doroud in Iran's Lorestan province and more than 200 demonstrators were arrested in the capital city of Tehran Saturday, reports said.

In his first address since the protests began, Rouhani said Sunday night that Iranians had the right to protest but condemned any violent activities.

"The government will show no tolerance for those who damage public properties, violate public order and create unrest in the society," Rouhani said, Reuters reported. An Iranian, who requested anonymity said that he "saw a few young men being arrested and put into police van. They don’t let anyone assemble."

Videos and pictures posted on social media showed police being attacked by the demonstrators and a car being turned over and set on fire. In another footage, protesters can be heard chanting “Down with the dictator!” in Central Tehran, in an apparent reference to Khamenei.

Meanwhile, hundreds of students and others joined an economic protest at Tehran University. Riot police were seen stationed near the university's gates and shutting down surrounding roads.

President Donald Trump also weighed in on the protests, tweeting Sunday: “Iran, the Number One State of Sponsored Terror with numerous violations of Human Rights occurring on an hourly basis, has now closed down the Internet so that peaceful demonstrators cannot communicate. Not good!”

In a statement later, the White House said the voices of the people of Iran “deserved to be heard.”

“We encourage all parties to protect this fundamental right to peaceful expression and to avoid any actions that contribute to censorship,” the statement said.

Condemning Trump's support for the protesters, Rouhani said: “This gentleman who today sympathises with our people has forgotten that a few months ago he called us a terrorist nation. The one who has opposed the Iranian nation from his head to his toe has no right to express sympathy for people of Iran.”

Iranian publication Tasnim news posted a photo showing a protester setting fire to the country’s flag, the Guardian said.

According to Reuters, the protests were triggered by public anger over high prices of commodities, mismanagement and alleged corruption in the government and unemployment of youth, which stood at 28.8 percent in 2017.

Rouhani’s biggest achievement was the nuclear deal in 2015 that Iran signed with world powers in return for lifting of sanctions. However, the deal is yet to bring in the promised economic benefits and some unilateral sanctions imposed by the U.S. still remain, Al Jazeera reported.