Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered security forces not to crack down on economic protests, drawing a distinction between peaceful demonstrators and armed “rioters”.
Pezeshkian’s statement comes as Iranian cities continue to see a wave of protests against economic hardship triggered by price rises and currency collapse.
Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) claimed at least 27 protesters have been killed during the demonstrations that kicked off with a shopkeeper’s strike in Tehran on December 28.
Iranian media outlets, relaying official announcements, have reported 13 deaths, including members of the security forces and a policeman who was shot dead on Tuesday.
In a video released by the news agency Mehr after a cabinet meeting Iran Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said Pezeshkian had “ordered that no security measures be taken against the demonstrators”.
“Those who carry firearms, knives and machetes and who attack police stations and military sites are rioters, and we must distinguish protesters from rioters,” Ghaempanah added.
