The caput of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has told protesters that Saturday volition beryllium their past time of taking to the streets, successful a motion that information forces whitethorn intensify their crackdown connected unrest sweeping the country.
Iran has been gripped by protests since the decease of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, successful the custody of the morality constabulary past month, posing 1 of the boldest challenges to the clerical enactment since the 1979 revolution.
“Do not travel to the streets. Today is the past time of riots,” commander, Hossein Salami, said successful immoderate of the toughest connection utilized successful the crisis, which Iran’s clerical enactment blames connected its overseas enemies, including Israel and the US.
“This sinister plan, is simply a program hatched … successful the White House and the Zionist regime,” helium said.
The Revolutionary Guards, which study straight to Iran’s ultimate leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, person not been deployed since demonstrations began connected 16 September. They are an elite unit with a way grounds of crushing dissent.
Rights groups person said astatine slightest 250 radical person been killed and thousands arrested crossed Iran successful the protests, which person turned into a fashionable revolt involving each layers of society.
Video footage posted connected societal media connected Friday showed protesters calling for the decease of Khamenei and the Basij militia, which has played a large relation successful efforts to defuse demonstrations.
The country’s quality ministry and the quality limb of the Revolutionary Guards person accused spy agencies from the US, the UK, Israel and Saudi Arabia of having orchestrated the unrest to destabilise the Islamic republic.
Salami, who was speaking astatine a ceremonial of victims killed successful an onslaught this week claimed by Islamic State, reiterated that connection successful a nonstop code to the protesters.
“Don’t merchantability your honour to America and don’t slap the information forces, who are defending you, successful the face,” helium said.
Iranians person defied specified warnings passim the revolt successful which women person played a salient role. There were much reports of caller bloodshed connected Saturday.
The quality rights radical Hengaw reported that information forces had changeable astatine students astatine a girls’ schoolhouse successful the metropolis of Saqez. In different post, it said information forces had opened occurrence connected students astatine the Kurdistan University of Medical Science, successful the provincial superior of Sanandaj.
Several students were injured, 1 of them changeable successful the head, Hengaw said.
Reuters could not verify the report.
The US volition enactment the UN spotlight connected the Iran protests adjacent week and look for ways to beforehand credible, autarkic investigations into Iranian quality rights abuses.
The UN caput general’s spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, urged the Iranian authorities connected Friday to code the “legitimate grievances of the population, including with respect to women’s rights”, and said information forces indispensable debar “all unnecessary oregon disproportionate usage of force” against peaceful protesters.