Rouhani Calls for Release of Innocent Protesters

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on Wednesday for the release of any unarmed and innocent people who were detained during protests against gasoline price hikes, after two weeks of violent clashes, Reuters reported.

The unrest, which began on Nov. 15 after the government abruptly raised fuel prices by as much as 300%, spread to more than 100 cities and towns and turned political as young and working-class protesters demanded clerical leaders step down.

“Religious and Islamic clemency should be shown and those innocent people who protested against petrol price hikes and were not armed … should be released,” Rouhani said in a televised speech.

Iran’s clerical rulers have blamed “thugs” linked to its opponents in exile and the country’s main foreign foes – the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.

“The aim of our enemies was to endanger the existence of the Islamic republic by igniting riots in Iran… But America and the Zionist regime (Israel) lack political wisdom about Iran and Iranians,” said the chief commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Hossein Salami in a televised speech.

Tehran has given no official death toll, but Amnesty International said on Monday it had documented the deaths of at least 208 protesters, making the disturbances the bloodiest since the 1979 uprising that swept Shi’ite clerics to power.

The Intelligence Ministry said last week that at least eight people linked to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had been arrested during the unrest, which was snuffed out last week by a security crackdown, Reuters informs.

The struggle of ordinary Iranians to make ends meet has become harder since last year when President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from Tehran’s nuclear deal with six world powers and reimposed sanctions that have further crippled Iran’s oil-based economy.

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