Iran begins arresting protest leaders as unrest widens

Shafaq News– Tehran

Iran’s security forces have begun arresting “the leaders of the current unrest,” following days of widening protests driven initially by economic grievances.

Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Radan, commander of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces, told state television on Sunday that arrests had been underway for the past two days, targeting those he said were directing riots on the ground and online. “Some of those arrested had confessed to receiving foreign currency, including US dollars, to incite violence.”

Radan said the demonstrations began as protests by bazaar merchants over currency instability, describing their economic demands as justified. “At first, the protests were rooted in economic issues, particularly fluctuations in exchange rates, and the merchants were right in their demands,” he said. “But the following day, the situation turned into street riots.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei acknowledged that demonstrators’ economic demands were legitimate, while rejecting dialogue with what he labeled as rioters. He said such elements must be “stopped.” Khamenei further accused “agitators and enemy mercenaries” of operating behind protesting traders and of chanting slogans hostile to Islam and Iran.

According to Iranian police, protests started on Monday and spread to at least 25 cities, particularly in western and southwestern provinces. Iranian media reported that a Basij member, Ali Azizi, was killed during clashes in western Iran after being stabbed and shot. Since shopkeepers in Tehran first shuttered their businesses on Sunday, at least seven people have been killed and 44 arrested, according to official figures.