People protest in Tehran, Iran December 30, 2017 © Reuters
Habibollah Khojastehpour, the deputy governor of Lorestan province, has accused “foreign agents” for the deaths of two demonstrators on December 30.
“No shots were fired by the police and security forces. We have found evidence of enemies of the revolution, Takfiri groups [militant groups] and foreign agents in this clash,” he said in an interview to the state-run TV on December 31.
According to reports, in total 12 people had died since as a result of protests started on December 28. Protests have been taking places in several major cities, including Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan and Rasht.
On December 31, media reported access to social media apps Instagram and Telegram had been temporarily restricted in Iran. On January 1, Iranian Information and Communications Technology Minister Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi confirmed that the restricted access to social networks is a temporary measure.
