An screen grab taken from a video released by Iran's Mehr News agency reportedly shows a group of men pushing traffic barriers in a street in Tehran on Saturday. (AFP/Getty Images)
ISTANBUL — At least 10 people have been killed in nationwide protests in Iran over the past five days, Iranian state television said Monday, a day after President Hassan Rouhani appealed for calm and urged demonstrators to refrain from violence.
State television said security forces had repelled “armed protesters” who tried to take over police stations and military bases, the Associated Press reported. It was unclear where the alleged attacks took place, though some videos circulating online have showed protesters in violent confrontations with police. Ten people were killed Sunday alone, the state broadcaster said.
The rising death toll comes as spontaneous demonstrations have swept across Iran since Thursday, when economic protests swiftly turned political and took aim at the government. Criticism of the Islamic Republic is taboo, and public dissent is often brutally crushed.
Still, demonstrators continued to defy security forces, turning out even in pro-government strongholds to chant against the supreme leader and the country’s ruling clerics.
Rouhani, a moderate, acknowledged protesters’ grievances in a televised address Sunday night, saying Iranians had the right to criticize their government and call for more transparency. He chided demonstrators who have attacked government buildings and said protesters should not make the public fear for their safety.
Iran on Sunday blocked Telegram and Instagram, social media apps widely used by Iranians that officials said were being used to orchestrate violence. Officials said the apps would be blocked “temporarily” in order to “maintain peace,” state media said. Iranians had used the apps to upload and share images from demonstrations.
“Big protests in Iran,” President Trump tweeted Sunday. “The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer.”
Rouhani has come under fire for a perceived failure to deliver on key economic promises he made after reaching a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. International sanctions on Iran were lifted as part of the deal.
Ordinary Iranians have not benefited from the agreement, despite a growing economy. Most growth has taken place in the oil sector, and few jobs have been created in other industries.
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