Iranian president’s warning comes as social media videos showed protesters back on the streets despite a crackdown that killed at least 41 people.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has pledged to deal “decisively” with the protests that have swept the country since the
death of a woman who was detained by the Iranian morality police.
Raisi’s comments on Saturday came as protesters took to the streets for a ninth consecutive night, defying a crackdown in which at least 41 people have been killed, according to state television. It said the toll was based on its own count and official figures were yet to be released.
Hundreds of people have also been arrested, with protests reported in most of the country’s 31 provinces.
State media said Raisi on Saturday spoke to a relative of the Basij paramilitary member who had been killed while taking part in a crackdown in the northeastern city of Mashhad. It quoted the president as saying that Iran must “deal decisively with those who oppose the country’s security and tranquillity”.
The president “stressed the necessity to distinguish between protest and disturbing public order and security, and called the events … a riot, ” state media reported.
The protests broke out in northwestern Iran a week ago at the funeral of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died after falling into a coma following her detention in Tehran by
morality police enforcing hijab rules on women’s dress.
Her death has reignited anger over issues including restrictions on personal freedoms in Iran, the strict dress codes for women, and an economy reeling from sanctions.
Women have played a prominent role in the protests, waving and burning their veils. Some have publicly cut their hair as furious crowds called for the fall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The protests have been the largest to sweep Iran since demonstrations over fuel prices in 2019 when the Reuters news agency reported 1, 500 people were killed in a crackdown on protesters – the bloodiest confrontation in the country’s history.
On Friday, state-organised rallies took place in several Iranian cities to counter the anti-government protests, and the army promised to confront “the enemies” behind the unrest.