Hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested, according to officials and social media. Online video showed police in the capital Tehran firing water cannon to disperse demonstrators, in footage said to have been filmed on Sunday.
Protests against economic hardships and alleged corruption erupted in Iran’s second city of Mashhad on Thursday and escalated across the country into calls for the religious establishment to step down.
Some of the anger was directed at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, breaking a taboo surrounding the man who has been supreme leader of Iran since 1989.
To date, twelve protesters have been officially confirmed killed.
Israel’s prime minister laughed off claims from Tehran that his country is behind the anti-government protests.
“It’s not only false. It’s laughable,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video message.
Iranian officials have claimed that foreign agents have played a role in instigating widespread protests that have shaken the country since Thursday.
The Israeli leader said “brave Iranians” are seeking the freedom and justice that have been “denied to them for decades, Iran’s cruel regime wastes tens of billions of dollars spreading hate. This money could have built schools and hospitals. No wonder mothers and fathers are marching in the streets.”
Condemning the “silence” of European governments, Netanyahu said the will not stay silent, “And when this regime finally falls, and one day it will, Iranians and Israelis will be great friends once again. I wish the Iranian people success in their noble quest for freedom.”
Officially, Israel is staying out of what they call an “internal affair,” Israeli Intelligence Minister Israel Katz said in an Army Radio interview on Monday.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has warned other nations against becoming involved in “Iran’s internal affair.”
US President Donald Trump has expressed strong support for the protesters with numerous tweets. Canada’s Foreign Ministry and the UK’s Foreign Secretary have both noted the right to peaceful protest.
On Monday, Germany’s Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel expressed concern about deaths of protesters.
“We appeal to the Iranian government to respect the rights of demonstrators to assemble and to peacefully raise their voices,” he said, according to Reuters. “After the confrontations of recent days, it is all the more important that all sides refrain from violent actions.”
At a meeting with members of parliament on Monday, Rouhani urged national unity, saying it "is the first and most important step at this stage." Rouhani appealed in a pre-recorded message which aired on state TV on Sunday, saying that Iranians had the right to protest legally. "The space needs to open up for legal protest and criticism," he said.
