TEHRAN
\nStudents at several universities in Iran have staged anti-government protests\u2013the first such rallies on this scale since last month\u2019s deadly crackdown by the authorities. A sit-in was held at another Tehran university, and a rally reported in the north-east. Students were honouring thousands of those killed in mass protests in January.
\nThe US has been building up its military presence near Iran, and President Donald Trump has said he is considering a limited military strike.The US and its European allies suspect that Iran is moving towards the development of a nuclear weapon, something Iran has always denied.
\nUS and Iranian officials met in Switzerland on Tuesday and said progress had been made in talks aimed at curbing Iran\u2019s nuclear programme. But despite the reported progress, Trump said afterwards that the world would find out \u201cover the next, probably, 10 days\u201d whether a deal would be reached with Iran or the US would take military action.
\nThe US leader has supported protesters in the past\u2013at one stage appearing to encourage them with a promise that \u201chelp is on its way\u201d. Footage verified by the BBC shows hundreds of protesters\u2013many with national Iranian flags\u2013peacefully marching on the campus of the Sharif University of Technology at the start of a new semester on Saturday.
\nThe crowds chanted \u201cdeath to the dictator\u201d\u2013a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei\u2013and other anti-government slogans. Supporters of a rival pro-government rally are seen nearby in the video. Scuffles are later seen breaking out between the two camps.
\nVerified photos have also emerged showing a peaceful sit-in protest at the capital\u2019s Shahid Beheshti University.The BBC have also verified footage from another Tehran university, Amir Kabir University of Technology, showing chanting against the government. In Mashhad, Iran\u2019s second-largest city in the north-east, local students reportedly chanted: \u201cFreedom, freedom\u201d and \u201cStudents, shout, shout for your rights\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TEHRAN Students at several universities in Iran have staged anti-government protests\u2013the first such rallies on this scale since last month\u2019s deadly crackdown by the authorities. A sit-in was held at another Tehran university, and a rally reported in the north-east. Students were honouring thousands of those killed in mass protests in January. The US has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":532915,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-532905","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n