TEHRAN, Iran: Supporters of Iran’s government staged rallies across the country, showing solidarity with the administration as anti-government protests entered their 16th day over worsening economic conditions.
In the capital Tehran, crowds gathered at Enghelab Square near the University of Tehran on Monday, waving national flags and condemning recent violence in public areas, Anadolu Agency reported.
Similar demonstrations were reported in Kerman, Zahedan, and Birjand in eastern Iran. Protesters urged authorities to address economic grievances while rejecting what they described as “foreign interference” in domestic affairs.
Iranian officials have accused the United States and Israel of supporting “armed rioters” responsible for attacks in public places nationwide. The Intelligence Ministry announced the seizure of 273 weapons and the arrest of three people during the transit of an international cargo truck.
Authorities also detained a five-member “terrorist cell” linked to a banned Kurdish party in Khorramabad and 15 individuals allegedly connected to Persian-language opposition channels operating outside Iran.
The unrest began last month amid a sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial, which has fallen to 145,000 against the US dollar, causing rising prices for essential goods.
Tensions with the United States remain high. President Donald Trump indicated that Iranian authorities had reached out to explore potential negotiations on the country’s nuclear program. “A meeting is being set up. Iran called. They want to negotiate,” Trump said on Sunday, while leaving open the possibility of military action.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf vowed at a Tehran rally that the country’s defenders would teach the US an “unforgettable lesson,” warning that “all your assets in the region will be destroyed. We will discipline the oppressive rulers.” President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attended the demonstration.
There are no official casualty figures for the ongoing unrest and the exact toll cannot be independently confirmed amid an ongoing internet blackout and conflicting casualty estimates.
