PARIS: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday said “rioters” should not be allowed to disrupt society, in his first remarks after three nights of intensified protests against the country’s authorities.
Protests in Iran initially sparked by anger over the rising cost of living have lasted two weeks, becoming a movement against the theocratic system in place since the 1979 revolution.
Pezeshkian, in an interview with state TV on Sunday said “protesting is the people’s right,” but echoed authorities in drawing a line between outcry over Iran’s dire economy and “rioters” they allege are backed by the US and Israel.