Anti-government protests spurred by economic woes hit Iran for a third straight day Saturday, news agencies and social media reports said, in what has quickly emerged as a significant challenge to the administration of President Hassan Rouhani.
Demonstrators protesting price hikes and high unemployment turned out in cities and towns across the country, taking aim not only at Rouhani’s economic policies but also targeting the cleric-ruled government, in an extraordinary display of public dissent.
Videos posted online Saturday purportedly show demonstrators everywhere from the capital, Tehran, to Kermanshah in the west and Isfahan in central Iran. Protesters were seen fleeing volleys of tear gas and tearing down posters of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds absolute authority Iran.
Elsewhere, in footage that could not be verified, demonstrators appeared to break into and occupy a governor's compound in the city of Arak in western Iran. They were also shown destroying the office of a Khamenei representative in a separate province. Reuters, citing social media posts, said two demonstrators had been shot also in the western part of the country.
Officials warned Saturday that citizens should stay away from “illegal gatherings.” And the government lashed out at the Trump administration following a Friday night Twitter post by the president in support of the demonstrations, which observers said were the largest since a pro-reform uprising in 2009.