• Protests that began over crippling economic conditions have swept across Iran, becoming the most serious anti-regime demonstrations in years.
• Thursday saw the biggest unrest to date, prompting authorities to cut internet access and telephone lines in Tehran and other cities. At least 45 protesters, including eight children, have been killed since the unrest broke out almost two weeks ago, Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO reports.
• Donald Trump has threatened to attack Iran if security forces kill protesters, but on Friday Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US president should “focus on the problems of his own country.”
• The latest demonstrations are the biggest since the large-scale protests that were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the religious police in 2022.
One of the Middle East’s longest-serving leaders, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ruled Iran for more than 35 years, repeatedly using force to quash protests during his tenure.
Continue reading the complete article on the original source
