Anti-Ayatollah rallies leave 12 dead in Iran

IRAN’S Islamic leadership was last night facing its bloodiest challenge yet after at least 12 people died in anti-government protests.

Tens of thousands of people have poured on to the streets calling for the removal of Iran’s supreme religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a bid to end clerical rule.

Two people were killed on Saturday in the western town of Dorud during an overnight rally.

State TV confirmed a further 10 people died on Sunday night as a series of street protests spread across the country.

And despite more than 400 arrests as the government attempted to crack down, further demonstrations were called for yesterday in the country’s capital Tehran and other cities.

Tear gas and water cannons were used against protesters in Tehran’s Enghelab Square.

Demonstrations were reported in Kermanshah and Khorramabad in the west, along with Shahin Shahr in the north-west and the northern city of Zanjan.

Protests have swept the country since Thursday when they first broke out in Iran’s second city, Mashhad. They are the biggest show of dissent seen since major rallies in 2009, during a disputed election.

Demonstrators are said to have taken over police stations and military bases, but still face resistance from security forces.

Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli-Larijani called for a crackdown on “rioters” and “vandals” yesterday.

He said: “Some individuals are exploiting the situation. This is wrong.”

State TV screened footage of the damage from the demonstrations but no further details of the deaths were given, except numbers.

President Hassan Rouhani acknowledged economic problems had played a part in sparking the protests but said: “Our nation will deal with this minority who chant slogans against the law and people’s wishes, and insult the sanctities and values of the revolution.”

US President Donald Trump yesterday tweeted: “Iran is failing at every level. TIME FOR CHANGE!”