Iran's Guards warn of "decisive" action if unrest continues
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DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards warned anti-government protesters on Monday of “decisive” action if unrest over gasoline price hikes does not cease, state media said, hinting at a harsh security crackdown.
The protests have spread across the Islamic Republic since Friday, with demonstrators demanding that clerical leaders step down. At least 100 banks and dozens of buildings and cars have been torched, state media reported.
“If necessary we will take decisive and revolutionary action against any continued moves to disturb the people’s peace and security,” the Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s heavily armed main security force, said in a statement carried by state media.
The scale of the disturbances sparked by announcements of fuel rationing and price rises of at least 50 percent remains unclear as authorities have curbed Internet access to stop the use of social media to organize rallies and disseminate videos.
But it appears to be the worst unrest since late 2017 when more than 80 cities and towns saw protests by thousands of young and working-class Iranians fed up with alleged corruption, high unemployment and a widening gap between rich and poor.
The Guards and their affiliated Basij militia quelled that bout of unrest, in which at least 22 people were killed.
Now anger has resurfaced over the impact of renewed U.S. sanctions and the government’s failed promises of jobs and investment.
The protests have spread across the Islamic Republic since Friday, with demonstrators demanding that clerical leaders step down. At least 100 banks and dozens of buildings and cars have been torched, state media reported.
“If necessary we will take decisive and revolutionary action against any continued moves to disturb the people’s peace and security,” the Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s heavily armed main security force, said in a statement carried by state media.
The scale of the disturbances sparked by announcements of fuel rationing and price rises of at least 50 percent remains unclear as authorities have curbed Internet access to stop the use of social media to organize rallies and disseminate videos.
But it appears to be the worst unrest since late 2017 when more than 80 cities and towns saw protests by thousands of young and working-class Iranians fed up with alleged corruption, high unemployment and a widening gap between rich and poor.
The Guards and their affiliated Basij militia quelled that bout of unrest, in which at least 22 people were killed.
Now anger has resurfaced over the impact of renewed U.S. sanctions and the government’s failed promises of jobs and investment.
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