Security forces tear gas students defying Iran protest ultimatum - Reuters

DUBAI, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Protests successful Iran entered a much convulsive signifier connected Sunday arsenic students, who defied an ultimatum by the Revolutionary Guards and a informing from the president, were met with teardrop state and gunfire from information forces, societal media videos showed.

The confrontations astatine dozens of universities prompted the menace of a tougher crackdown successful a seventh week of demonstrations sparked by the decease of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini aft she was arrested by the morality constabulary for attire deemed inappropriate.

"Security is the reddish enactment of the Islamic Republic, and we volition not let the force to instrumentality successful immoderate mode its plans to undermine this invaluable nationalist asset," hardline President Ebrahim Raisi said, according to authorities media.

Iranians from each walks of beingness person taken to the streets since Amini's decease successful protests that the clerical rulers said were endangering the Islamic Republic's security.

Authorities person accused Islamic Iran's arch-enemies the United States and Israel and their section agents of being down the unrest to destabilise the country.

What began arsenic outrage implicit Amini's decease connected Sept. 16 has evolved into 1 of the toughest challenges to clerical rulers since the 1979 revolution, with immoderate protesters calling for the decease of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The apical commandant of Iran's Revolutionary Guards told protesters that Saturday would beryllium their past time of taking to the streets, the harshest informing yet by Iranian authorities.

Nevertheless, videos connected societal media, unverifiable by Reuters, showed confrontations betwixt students and riot constabulary and Basij forces connected Sunday astatine universities each implicit Iran.

One video showed a subordinate of Basij forces firing a weapon astatine adjacent scope astatine students protesting astatine a subdivision of Azad University successful Tehran. Gunshots were besides heard successful a video shared by rights radical HENGAW from protests astatine the University of Kurdistan successful Sanandaj.

Videos from universities successful immoderate different cities besides showed Basij forces opening occurrence astatine students.

Across the country, information forces tried to artifact students wrong assemblage buildings, firing teardrop state and beating protesters with sticks. The students, who appeared to beryllium unarmed, pushed back, with immoderate chanting "dishonoured Basij get lost" and "Death to Khamenei".

HISTORY OF CRACKDOWNS

Social media reported arrests of astatine slightest a twelve doctors, journalists and artists since Saturday. The activistic HRANA quality bureau said 283 protesters had been killed successful the unrest arsenic of Saturday including 44 minors. Some 34 members of the information forces were besides killed.

More than 14,000 radical person been arrested, including 253 students, successful protests successful 132 cities and towns, and 122 universities, it said.

The Guards and its affiliated Basij unit person crushed dissent successful the past. They said connected Sunday, "seditionists" were insulting them astatine universities and successful the streets, and warned they whitethorn usage much unit if the anti-government unrest continued.

"So far, Basijis person shown restraint and they person been patient," the caput of the Revolutionary Guards successful the Khorasan Junubi province, Brigadier General Mohammadreza Mahdavi, was quoted arsenic saying by authorities quality bureau IRNA.

"But it volition get retired of our power if the concern continues."

JOURNALISTS APPEAL

More than 300 Iranian journalists demanded the merchandise of 2 colleagues jailed for their sum of Amini successful a connection published by the Iranian Etemad and different newspapers connected Sunday.

Niloofar Hamedi took a photograph of Amini's parents hugging each different successful a Tehran infirmary wherever their girl was lying successful a coma.

The image, which Hamedi posted connected Twitter, was the archetypal awesome to the satellite that each was not good with Amini, who had been detained 3 days earlier by Iran's morality constabulary for what they deemed inappropriate dress.

Elaheh Mohammadi covered Amini's ceremonial successful her Kurdish hometown Saqez, wherever the protests began. A associated connection released by Iran’s quality ministry and the quality organisation of the Revolutionary Guards connected Friday had accused Hamedi and Mohammadi of being CIA overseas agents.

Students and women person played a salient relation successful the unrest, burning their veils arsenic crowds telephone for the autumn of the Islamic Republic, which came to powerfulness successful 1979.

An authoritative said connected Sunday the constitution had nary program to retreat from compulsory veiling but should beryllium "wise" astir enforcement.

"Removing the veil is against our instrumentality and this office volition not retreat from its position," Ali Khanmohammadi, the spokesperson of Iran’s office for Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice told the Khabaronline website.

"However, our actions should beryllium omniscient to debar giving enemies a pretext to usage it against us."

In a further evident effort to defuse the situation, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said radical were close to telephone for betterment and their demands would beryllium met if they distanced themselves from the "criminals" taking to the streets.

"We see the protests to beryllium not lone close and the origin of progress, but we besides judge that these societal movements volition alteration policies and decisions, provided that they are separated from convulsive people, criminals and separatists," helium said, utilizing presumption officials typically usage for the protesters.

Writing by Michael Georgy and Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Nick Macfie, Philippa Fletcher, Angus MacSwan and Barbara Lewis

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