Tehran protesters demand resignation of Ali Khamenei
Eight years after Iran's religious leaders crushed the Green Revolution, demonstrators are back in the streets of the Islamic republic's cities.
According to a New York Times report, the first protests occurred in the northeastern city of Mashhad on December 28.
It's Iran's second most populous city and is considered a holy site for Shiite Muslims.
That was followed by more protests in the northwestern city of Dorud, where at least two demonstrators were reportedly shot, and other towns and cities.
Protesters in #Iran take control of the governor's building in the city of Arak in retaliation of Islamic Revolutionary Guard #IRGC attacks on the people. #IranProtests #تظاهرات_سراسرى #يحدث_الان_في_ايران #IranProtest #متحد_شویم #Iran pic.twitter.com/JdBBTynPZ1
— Armin Navabi (@ArminNavabi) December 30, 2017
The government responded with a pro-government rally in the capital of Tehran, but it was met with a protest.
Some counterdemonstrators were chanting for the resignation of the country's supreme leader, Ayotollah Ali Khamenei.
There has also been opposition expressed against the elected president, Hassan Rouhani, who has not done enough in their view to address corruption.
Protest today in the city of Shahr-e Kord. People chant: Down with the dictator. Source @hra_news pic.twitter.com/JazYFx6Hr4
— Maryam Nayeb Yazdi (@maryamnayebyazd) December 30, 2017
The government has blamed foreign elements for causing the disturbances.
Global Affairs Canada has issued a statement saying it is "encouraged by the Iranian people who are exercising their basic right to protest peacefully".
“We call on the Iranian authorities to uphold and respect democratic and human rights," the Canadian government statement says. “Canada will continue to support the fundamental rights of Iranians, including the right to freedom of expression.”
