DUBAI
\nProtests broke out in restive southeastern Iran on Friday, with demonstrators attacking banks, state media reported, as a senior hardline cleric called for tough measures against demonstrators across the country.
\nThe Islamic Republic has been gripped by five weeks of demonstrations that erupted after the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last month.
\nOn Friday, police arrested at least 57 people, described as \u201crioters\u201d, after protesters threw rocks and attacked banks in the city of Zahedan, provincial police chief Ahmad Taheri was quoted as saying by the official news agency IRNA.
\nState television said up to 300 protesters marched in the city after Friday prayers. It showed banks and shops with smashed windows.
\nVideos posted on social media purported to show thousands of protesters chanting \u201cDeath to the dictator\u201d, a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and \u201cDeath to Basijis\u201d, in reference to the Basij militia which has been widely used to crack down on protests. Reuters could not verify the videos.
\nZahedan is the capital of restive southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province which is the home of Iran\u2019s Baluch minority. Amnesty International has said security forces killed at least 66 people in a violent crackdown after Friday prayers in Zahedan on Sept. 30.
\nZahedan\u2019s top Sunni cleric said on Friday senior Iranian officials had to take responsibility for the Sept. 30 killings.
\n\u201cFor what crime were they killed? Officials, the country\u2019s managers, the Islamic Republic\u2019s Supreme Leader (Khamenei) who commands all armed forces are all responsible before God,\u201d said Molavi Abdolhamid, a leading Sunni cleric, according to a video of his Friday prayers sermon in Zahedan posted on his website.
\nState media said at the time that \u201cunidentified armed individuals\u201d opened fire on a police station, prompting security forces to return fire.
\nSistan-Baluchistan, on the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, is a hotbed of Sunni Muslim militant activity against the Shia-dominated government.
\nIn Tehran, hardline cleric Ahmad Khatami said: \u201cThe judiciary should deal with the rioters – who betrayed the nation and poured water into the enemy\u2019s watermill – in such a way that others don\u2019t again fancy to riot.\u201d
\n\u201cThey have told deceived kids if they stay in the streets for a week the regime will fall. Dream on!,\u201d Khatami said in a Friday prayers sermon, according to state media.
\nIran has blamed \u201cthugs\u201d linked to \u201cforeign enemies\u201d for the unrest.
\nThe nationwide protests have turned into one of the boldest challenges to Iran\u2019s clerical rulers since the 1979 revolution. Protesters have called for the downfall of the Islamic Republic, although the protests do not seem close to toppling the system.
\nVideos posted on social media and said to be from northwestern Tabriz showed protesters shouting \u201cDisgraceful!\u201d at riot police who shot tear gas to disperse them on Friday.
\nTabriz, Iran\u2019s sixth most populous city, is home to many from the Azeri ethnic minority.
\nOther online videos purported to show protests in the central city of Isfahan and in Tehran\u2019s Ekbatan highrise neigbourhood.
\nThe activist news agency HRANA said in a posting that 244 protesters had been killed in the unrest, including 32 minors.
\nIt said 28 members of the security forces were killed and more than 12,570 people had been arrested as of Friday in protests in 114 cities and towns and some 82 universities.
\nMeanwhile, CNN reported that the White House was in talks with billionaire Elon Musk about setting up SpaceX\u2019s satellite internet service Starlink in Iran.
\nThe satellite-based broadband service could help Iranians circumvent government restrictions on accessing the internet and certain social media platforms. Iranian activists say videos of protests have been delayed because of the curbs.
\nSeparately, Germany issued a travel warning for Iran, saying there was a real risk of being arbitrarily arrested and sentenced to long prison terms, above all for dual nationals. Friday\u2019s announcement raised the warning level for Iran travel, after Berlin strongly advised against it last month.
\nOn Wednesday, an Iranian news agency said security forces had arrested 14 foreigners, including American, British and French citizens, for their involvement in the protests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DUBAI Protests broke out in restive southeastern Iran on Friday, with demonstrators attacking banks, state media reported, as a senior hardline cleric called for tough measures against demonstrators across the country. The Islamic Republic has been gripped by five weeks of demonstrations that erupted after the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":290968,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-290941","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n