Iran has been rocked by anti-government protests. The protests began on December 28 to protest rising living costs and inflation, but have now turned into anti-government protests. Security forces have opened fire in several places to suppress the protests. A doctor in Tehran told the US-based Time magazine that at least 217 protestor deaths have been recorded in just six hospitals in the capital. Most of them died from gunshot wounds.The Iranian government has not yet commented on the number of casualties. Earlier, the country almost completely shut down the internet and telecommunications since Thursday night. The doctor claimed that the authorities removed the bodies from the hospital on Friday. According to him, most of the dead were young.On Friday, the Iranian human rights group HRANA said at least 62 people had been killed since the protests began on December 28. Among the dead were 14 members of the security forces and 48 protesters. On the same day, the Turkish news agency Anadolu reported that eight members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed during protests in the western city of Kermanshah on Thursday On the other hand Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has warned that mercenaries working for foreign powers and rioters who damage public life and property will not be tolerated. Khamenei made the warning in a speech broadcast on state television. He said that foreign powers are trying to destabilize Iran. According to Iran International, he alleged that some rioters are trying to please US President Trump by damaging lives and property. He said, "They want to please Trump. If he knew how to run a country properly, there would be no problems inside the United States."Khamenei said, "Trump will definitely fall. Because arrogant and tyrants like Pharaoh, Nimrod, Reza Shah and Mohammad Reza also fell." He said Iran will not retreat in the face of instability. Khamenei also said that the US president's hands are stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians.
Source : Times Magazine & iran Intl.
