At least 65 people have been killed and more than 2,300 arrested during two weeks of anti-government protests that have rocked Iran, according to a US-based human rights group. The demonstrations have spread to at least 100 cities across all of Iran’s 31 provinces, in a wave of nationwide unrest over crippling economic conditions, CNN reported.
Protesters have described enormous crowds and feelings of hope, but also brutal violence and “bodies piled up on each other” in a hospital.
An internet blackout across the country imposed by the authorities is also ongoing, according to a watchdog. One Tehran resident told CNN the blackout has failed to quell the protests.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to attack Iran if security forces respond with force, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US supports the country’s people. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Trump to “focus on his own country” and blamed the US for inciting protests.
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