Hundreds of Iranians held rallies on Saturday in support of the anti-government protests in Iran, in cities including Washington, D.C., Stockholm, London, Paris and Berlin.

About 400 people gathered in central Paris, and several hundred held a rally in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate with Iranian flags, drums and banners calling for a change of government. (Reuters)

See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr. </s> 1/6/218 6:04 p.m. -- Several hundred people protested against the Iranian government in Berlin on Saturday, gathering in front of the Brandenburg Gate and calling for regime change.

The rally, organized by the German wing of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, followed more than a week of unrest across Iran that has seen more than 20 people die and more than 1,000 arrested, according to Iranian officials. The anti-government protests have been the largest in the past decade.

1/6/2018 4:43 p.m. -- Tehran University has set up a committee to track students who had been arrested during the recent anti-government protests, university Vice President Majid Sarsangi told ISNA, according to a Reuters report.

"Our efforts at the university are aimed at cooperating with the relevant authorities to create the conditions for the return of the detained students to the university and their families in the shortest possible time," Sarsangi told ISNA.

A member of parliament told Reuters that about 90 students had been detained during demonstrations -- 10 of the students have not yet been accounted for.

1/6/2018 3:13 p.m. -- This amateur video appears to show anti-government protests continuing on Friday in the capital, Tehran, where security forces were reportedly out in large numbers to prevent the gatherings from turning into a larger rally. The video was published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on Saturday.

Anti-government protesters in Tabriz late Friday purportedly chanted the name of Soltan, the 26-year-old philosophy student and protester who was gunned down during the bloody government crackdown on demonstrators during the 2009 mass rallies. They also said they missed Neda, a young female student who was shot dead during those same rallies and became an icon for the Green Revolution.

Another video reportedly shows thousands of fans at a soccer game in Tabriz, the capital of West Azerbaijan Province, a predominately ethnic Azeri region, chanting anti-leadership slogans.

​1/6/2018 2:05 p.m. -- Demonstrators gathered outside the White House on Saturday, in a show of support for anti-government protests taking place in Iran. VOA Farsi Instagram posted these photos. The gathering, at Lafayette Park, across from the White House, was organized by the Organization of the Iranian American Communities. It was held in solidarity with those demonstrating in Iran.

1/6/2018 1:49 p.m. -- Iranian senior cleric Ahmad Khatami, during his Friday prayers, called on Iran to create its own indigenous social media apps, blaming them for the unrest that followed days of protest in the Islamic Republic over its economy.

1/6/2018 10:59 a.m. — Thousands of pro-government supporters rally Saturday across Iran for the fourth consecutive day — one day after Iran's foreign minister said a United Nations meeting was a "blunder" by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

State television showed demonstrators in the cities of Amol, Semnam and Shadegan wielding Iranian flags and chanting slogans against the U.S., Israel and Britain. Rallies also were held in the provinces of Khuzestan, Semnan and West Azerbaijan.

1/6/2018 4:08 a.m. — Iran’s foreign minister says a U.S. move to call an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting on protests in country marks another foreign policy “blunder” for the Trump administration.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter late Friday that the Security Council “rebuffed the U.S.’ naked attempt to hijack its mandate.”

He says the majority emphasized the need to fully implement the nuclear deal and to refrain from interfering in the affairs of other countries.

U.S. President Donald Trump has voiced encouragement for anti-government demonstrations that have broken out in Iran. The U.S. called the U.N. meeting on Friday, portraying the protests that began last week as a human rights issue that could spill over into an international problem.

On Saturday, Iran’s state TV showed several hundred government supporters rallying a day after Zarif's comment.

The state broadcaster showed the pro-government rally in the city of Amol, in the northern province of Mazandaram, with hundreds of people waving the Iranian flag and chanting slogans against the U.S. and Israel. State TV described the rally as a “response to rioters and supporters of the riots.”

​1/6/2018 2:38 a.m. — U.S.Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the Associated Press in a wide-ranging interview that he is working with key lawmakers to find a legislative way to enable to keep the United States in the Iran nuclear deal.

He also expressed some disappointment that the European Union has not taken "a more definitive stance in supporting" the protesters in Iran.

1/6/2018 12:26 a.m. — RFE/RL reports that Iranian authorities have blocked social media and messaging apps to foil would-be organizers and quell ongoing antigovernment protests.

But in one minor regard, state officials appear to have decided that if they can't beat 'em, they'll join 'em.

The country's state broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), used the banned messaging app Telegram to hail the authorities' ban on that very same app.

​1/6/2018 12:26 a.m. — (From RFE/RL) Some credit Roohollah Zam with providing a crucial information platform for Iranian protesters as they take on the Iranian regime. Tehran, however, accuses him of inciting violence and spreading fake news.

Whichever way you see it, there is no doubting that Zam, a former journalist turned exile, has become someone for the Iranian authorities to reckon with. Making use of the encrypted safety of the messaging app Telegram and the information agency he runs from abroad, Zam takes on all members of the establishment in Iran in an effort to bring the system down.

*Some information for this report provided by AP.

VOA Persian Service coverage of Iran Protests in Farsi

 

 Follow @VOAIran breaking news coverage in Farsi on Twitter </s> Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) said in a statement Sunday that the Iranian people and the country's security forces played a role in ending the recent wave of unrest that the IRGC says was fomented by foreign enemies.

 

 The group said in a statement, "The new epic of the proud, conscious, pious, and revolutionary Iranian people, along with the distinguished presence of tens of thousands of loyal Basij volunteer forces in calming the riots and the sincere endeavors of the brethren of the Law Enforcement Force and the Intelligence Ministry have broken the chain woven by America, Britain, the Zionist regime [Israel], the Saudi royal family, the Hypocrites [the banned Mojahedin-e-Karl Organization] and monarchists and eliminated the witchery of a new sedition."

 

 Iran's parliament holds a special session Sunday to discuss the anti-government protests that began December 28 and continued into the following week.

Iran's ISNA news agency reported that Iran's interior minister, head of intelligence and security council chief are all expected to attend. On the agenda are discussions of the root cause of the protests, as well as legal help for protesters jailed during the demonstrations.

 

 The session was called by a group of reformist lawmakers, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. In a letter, those lawmakers called for legal assistance for the detained and condemned any outside "interference" in the protests, calling out the United States in particular.

 

 U.S. President Donald Trump is set to soon decide whether to continue waiving sanctions on Iran that were suspended under the 2015 international deal on Iran's nuclear program. The waiver must be renewed every 120 days, according to U.S. law. Trump could decide not to renew, putting U.S. trade sanctions back into effect.

 

 In Europe, supporters of the anti-government protesters in Iran have been gathering to show their support in The Hague, Berlin, Hamburg, Stockholm, London and Paris.

At least 22 people have died in the protests and more than 1,000 have been arrested. Hard-line cleric Ahmad Khatami told worshipers in a sermon Friday that those arrested should be treated as enemies of Islam, particularly those who have burned the flag. "There should be no mercy for them," he said.

 

 Government official Mansour Gholami has told reporters that about a quarter of those arrested have been released, but he did not provide exact numbers.



 The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting Friday at the urging of the United States.

 

 U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley called the protests "a powerful exhibition of brave people who have become so fed up with their oppressive government that they are willing to risk their lives in protests." She also addressed the Iranian government, saying, "the U.S. is watching what you do."

 

 In response, the Iranian ambassador, Gholamali Khoshroo, said it is a "discredit" to the Security Council to hold such a meeting on Iran in the face of the conflicts taking place in Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East. He, along with a number of Security Council members, said the United States is meddling in Iran's domestic affairs.

After the meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted, "The UNSC rebuffed the U.S.'snaked attempt to hijack its mandate ... Another FP [foreign policy] blunder for the Trump administration."

 

 Still, U.S. intelligence officials warn Tehran is at a crossroads, noting the protests are the biggest outpouring of public discontent since Iranians took to the streets in 2009 following a disputed presidential election.

 

 "The protests are symptomatic of long-standing grievances that have been left to fester," an intelligence official told VOA on condition of anonymity. "Will it address the legitimate concerns of its people or suppress the voices of its own populace?"

 

 "What is clear is that these concerns are not going away," the official said.

 

 Critics of Iranian President Nassan Rouhani say he has abandoned the poor, pointing to rising prices for key commodities like fuel, bread and eggs. </s> Iran’s parliament is set to hold a special session as soon as Sunday to discuss the anti-government protests that began Dec. 28 and continued through this week.

Iran’s ISNA news agency reported that Iran’s interior minister, head of intelligence and security council chief are all expected to attend. On the agenda are discussions of the root cause of the protests, as well as legal help for protesters jailed during the demonstrations.

The session was called by a group of reformist lawmakers, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. In a letter, those lawmakers called for legal assistance for the detained and condemned any outside “interference” in the protests, calling out the United States in particular.

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to decide next week whether to continue waiving sanctions on Iran that were suspended under the 2015 international deal on Iran’s nuclear program. The waiver must be renewed every 120 days, according to U.S. law. Trump could decide not to renew, putting U.S. trade sanctions back into effect.

In Europe, supporters of the anti-government protesters in Iran have been gathering to show their support in The Hague, Berlin, Hamburg, Stockholm, London and Paris.

At least 22 people have died in the protests, and more than 1,000 have been arrested. Hard-line cleric Ahmad Khatami told worshippers in a sermon Friday that those arrested should be treated as enemies of Islam, particularly those who have burned the flag.

“There should be no mercy for them,” he said.

Government official Mansour Gholami has told reporters that about a quarter of those arrested have been released, but he did not provide exact numbers.

The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting Friday at the urging of the United States.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley called the protests “a powerful exhibition of brave people who have become so fed up with their oppressive government that they are willing to risk their lives in protests.” She also addressed the Iranian government, saying, “the U.S. is watching what you do.”

In response, the Iranian ambassador, Gholamali Khoshroo, said it is a “discredit” to the Security Council to hold such a meeting on Iran in the face of the conflicts taking place in Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East. He, along with a number of Security Council members, said the United States is meddling in Iran’s domestic affairs.

After the meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted, “The UNSC rebuffed the U.S.’s naked attempt to hijack its mandate. ... Another FP (foreign policy) blunder for the Trump administration.”

Still, U.S. intelligence officials warn Tehran is at a crossroads, noting the protests are the biggest outpouring of public discontent since Iranians took to the streets in 2009 following a disputed presidential election.

“The protests are symptomatic of long-standing grievances that have been left to fester,” an intelligence official told VOA on condition of anonymity. “Will it address the legitimate concerns of its people or suppress the voices of its own populace?”

“What is clear is that these concerns are not going away,” the official said.

Critics of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani say he has abandoned the poor, pointing to rising prices for key commodities like fuel, bread and eggs. </s> People demonstrate in solidarity with anti-government protests in Iran near the Iranian embassy in Paris January 6, 2018. — Reuters picDUBAI, Jan 7 — Thousands of government supporters staged rallies in Iran for a fourth day yesterday in a backlash against widespread anti-government protests that the clerical establishment has blamed on the country's enemies.

Yesterday's show of support took place a day after Iran's foreign minister said a United Nations Security Council meeting called by the United States to discuss the protests had proved a "blunder" by the administration of US President Donald Trump.

State television showed rallies and marches in more than a dozen cities with demonstrators waving Iranian flags and chanting slogans including “Death to America,” “Death to Israel” and “Death to Britain.”

More than a week of unrest has seen 22 people die and more than 1,000 arrested, according to Iranian officials, in the biggest anti-government protests for nearly a decade.

Unrest spread to more than 80 cities and rural towns as thousands of young and working-class Iranians voiced anger at graft, unemployment and a deepening gap between rich and poor.

Residents contacted by Reuters in various cities have said the protests had subsided in recent days, after the government intensified a crackdown by dispatching Revolutionary Guards forces to several provinces.

Yesterday, videos on social media showed a heavy police presence in cities, including Khorramabad in southwestern Iran where on Wednesday evening social media posts showed protesters throwing stones at riot police. The protests have drawn largely young people and workers as well as members of the educated middle-class that formed the backbone of a pro-reform revolt almost a decade ago.

The provincial governor in northeastern Mashhad, where the protests started, was quoted as saying yesterday that 85 per cent of detainees there had been released after signing a pledge not to re-offend.

“Those with a criminal record, or those charged with sabotage such as setting fire to motorcycles or damaging public buildings have been referred to judicial authorities,” governor Alireza Rashidian told the Isna news agency.

A police spokesman said most of those arrested were “duped” into joining the unrest and had been freed on bail, the state news agency Irna reported. “But, the leaders of the unrest are held by the judiciary in prison.”

Tehran University vice president Majid Sarsangi said the university had set up a committee to track the fate of students arrested during the unrest.

“Our efforts at the university are aimed at cooperating with the relevant authorities to create the conditions for the return of the detained students to the university and their families in the shortest possible time,” Sarsangi told Isna.

Separately, a member of parliament said about 90 students were detained, 10 of whom were still not accounted for.

“It seems that the total number of detainees is around 90. Ten students from universities in Tehran and some other cities are in an uncertain position, and ... it is still unknown which body has detained them,” the labour news agency Ilna quoted reformist politician Mahmoud Sadeghi as saying.

Iran has several parallel security bodies and residents say arrests are often not immediately announced.

Videos that appeared on social media in recent days showed relatives of detainees gathering outside prisons seeking information about the fate of their loved ones.

In Europe, hundreds of Iranians held rallies on Saturday in support of the anti-government protests in Iran, in cities including Stockholm, London, Paris and Berlin.

About 400 people gathered in central Paris, and several hundred held a rally in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate with Iranian flags, drums and banners calling for a change of government.

One of the protesters in Berlin, 18-year-old Pariya Kohandel Saleh, said her father was in jail in Iran for supporting the families of prisoners.

“Things should be good in Iran now the sanctions have been lifted, but the mullahs' pockets are bottomless and everybody knows it,” she told Reuters.

A United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday to discuss the protests turned into criticism of the United States for requesting to meet on what some member states said was an internal issue for Iran.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted: “The UNSC rebuffed the US's naked attempt to hijack its mandate ... Another FP (foreign policy) blunder for the Trump administration.”

Iran's elite Guards and its affiliated Basij militia suppressed unrest in 2009 over alleged election fraud, in which dozens of pro-reform Iranians were killed. — Reuters </s> Turkish riot police officers stand guard in front of the Iranian Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, January 4, 2018 Photo: Reuters

TEHRAN - Iran, where fresh pro-regime demonstrations took place Friday, has been rocked by days of opposition protests over the economy and the Islamic regime as a whole.

The unrest has left 21 dead, mostly demonstrators, and prompted hundreds of arrests. It is the biggest such movement in the tightly controlled country since a protest movement over a disputed election in 2009.

A few hundred demonstrators gather in the northeastern city of Mashhad and several other towns on December 28 to protest high living costs.

Videos on reformist media show protesters focusing their ire on President Hassan Rouhani but there are also slogans lambasting the entire regime and Iran's involvement in conflicts across the Middle East.

The next day larger-scale protests flare up in more cities including religious centre Qom, where footage shows hundreds of demonstrators chanting "Death to the dictator" and "Free political prisoners".

On December 30, regime supporters rally around the country for officially sanctioned demonstrations to commemorate the defeat of the 2009 protest movement.

Despite government warnings, anti-government protests grow. Tear gas fills the streets of downtown Tehran as hundreds of people scuffle with police.

The unrest claims its first victims when two people are killed in the western town of Dorud.

On December 31, the authorities issue more warnings and block access to online messaging services that were instrumental in organising protests.

Rouhani insists people are "absolutely free" to express their anger but "criticism is different to violence and destroying public property".

Nevertheless, the unrest continues as videos on social media show demonstrations across the country for a fourth night.

Iranian media and officials report 10 deaths in protests overnight Sunday to Monday in the west of the country.

US President Donald Trump says it is "time for change" in Iran.

State television says nine people, including a policeman and Revolutionary Guards member, are killed in unrest on January 1.

Six die in the town of Qahderijan, in the central province of Isfahan, where protesters try to storm a police station, the state broadcaster reports. The number of arrests rises to 450.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei breaks his silence on January 2, saying Iran's "enemies have united and are using all their means" against the regime.

Rouhani phones French leader Emmanuel Macron to demand action against a "terrorist" Iranian opposition group he accuses of fomenting the protests, likely referring to the Paris-based Mujahedeen-e-Khalq.

On January 3 the commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, announces "the end of the sedition".

At the United Nations, Iran accuses Washington of "grotesque" meddling.

On January 4, the United States imposes sanctions on five Iranian companies it alleges are working on Iran's illegal ballistic missile program.

On January 5 pro-regime rallies are held around Tehran for the third day running.

Prosecutor Mohammad Jafar Montazeri accuses the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia of being behind the violence. His deputy criticises the government for not having blocked the internet.

Iranian officials say they have arrested four members of a "terrorist cell" linked to the Mujahedeen.

The UN Security Council prepares to meet to discuss the Iran protests, prompting Russia to accuse the US of "interfering". </s> Iran, where fresh pro-regime demonstrations took place Friday, has been rocked by days of opposition protests over the economy and the Islamic regime as a whole.

The unrest has left 21 dead, mostly demonstrators, and prompted hundreds of arrests. It is the biggest such movement in the tightly controlled country since a protest movement over a disputed election in 2009.

A few hundred demonstrators gather in the northeastern city of Mashhad and several other towns on December 28 to protest high living costs.

Videos on reformist media show protesters focusing their ire on President Hassan Rouhani but there are also slogans lambasting the entire regime and Iran's involvement in conflicts across the Middle East.

The next day larger-scale protests flare up in more cities including religious centre Qom, where footage shows hundreds of demonstrators chanting "Death to the dictator" and "Free political prisoners".

On December 30, regime supporters rally around the country for officially sanctioned demonstrations to commemorate the defeat of the 2009 protest movement.

Despite government warnings, anti-government protests grow. Tear gas fills the streets of downtown Tehran as hundreds of people scuffle with police.

The unrest claims its first victims when two people are killed in the western town of Dorud.

On December 31, the authorities issue more warnings and block access to online messaging services that were instrumental in organising protests.

Rouhani insists people are "absolutely free" to express their anger but "criticism is different to violence and destroying public property".

Nevertheless the unrest continues as videos on social media show demonstrations across the country for a fourth night.

Iranian media and officials report 10 deaths in protests overnight Sunday to Monday in the west of the country.

US President Donald Trump says it is "time for change" in Iran.

State television says nine people, including a policeman and Revolutionary Guards member, are killed in unrest on January 1.

Six die in the town of Qahderijan, in the central province of Isfahan, where protesters try to storm a police station, the state broadcaster reports. The number of arrests rises to 450.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei breaks his silence on January 2, saying Iran's "enemies have united and are using all their means" against the regime.

Rouhani phones French leader Emmanuel Macron to demand action against a "terrorist" Iranian opposition group he accuses of fomenting the protests, likely referring to the Paris-based Mujahedeen-e-Khalq.

On January 3 the commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, announces "the end of the sedition".

At the United Nations, Iran accuses Washington of "grotesque" meddling.

On January 4, the United States imposes sanctions on five Iranian companies it alleges are working on Iran's illegal ballistic missile program.

On January 5 pro-regime rallies are held around Tehran for the third day running.

Prosecutor Mohammad Jafar Montazeri accuses the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia of being behind the violence. His deputy criticises the government for not having blocked the internet.

Iranian officials say they have arrested four members of a "terrorist cell" linked to the Mujahedeen.

The UN Security Council prepares to meet to discuss the Iran protests, prompting Russia to accuse the US of "interfering". </s> A large group of people carrying Iranian flags gathered outside the Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Hamburg, Germany, on January 2 to demonstrate in solidarity with the large-scale protests across Iran.In a video released on January 2, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, blamed “enemies” of Iran for the spate of anti-government protests in the country saying that that such enemies were always waiting for an opportunity to harm the country.As of Tuesday, at least 21 people had died in the widespread anti-government protests, and hundreds of people have been arrested, state news media said. Credit: Twitter/Amir Moradi via Storyful </s> (Iranian Labor News Agency via AP). A group of protesters chant slogans at the old grand bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 25, 2018. Protesters in the Iranian capital swarmed its historic Grand Bazaar on Monday, news agencies reported, and forced sh...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Angry protesters in Iran's capital held a third day of demonstrations on Tuesday over the country's anemic economy as President Hassan Rouhani told the nation that it faces an "economic war" with the United States following America's pullout from the nuclear deal.

While online videos showed demonstrators again confronting police on Tehran's streets and alleyways, the protests looked far smaller than those on Monday, when security forces fired tear gas on crowds in front of parliament.

Earlier on Monday, demonstrators forced the temporary closure of Tehran's Grand Bazaar and on Sunday, protests forced two major shopping centers for mobile phones and electronics to close in Tehran.

Rage persists over the plunging of the Iranian rial to 90,000 to the dollar - double the government rate of 42,000 rials to $1 - as people watch their savings dwindle and shopkeepers hold onto some goods, uncertain of their true value.

Part of the economic uncertainty comes from President Donald Trump's decision to pull America out of the nuclear deal and re-impose sanctions on Iran, even though other world powers have pledged to stand by the accord.

Similar economic protests roiled Iran and spread to some 75 cities and towns at the end of last year, becoming the largest demonstrations in the country since the months-long rallies following the 2009 disputed presidential election. The protests in late December and early January saw at least 25 people killed and nearly 5,000 arrested, but took place largely in Iran's provinces rather than in the capital, Tehran.

These latest protests have hit Iranian commercial areas, including the sprawling, historic warrens of Tehran's Grand Bazaar, the home of conservative merchants who backed the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution and overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. It remains unclear who is leading these protests, though analysts say hard-liners wanting to challenge Rouhani likely sparked the demonstrations at the end of last year.

On Tuesday, witnesses described a noticeable presence of riot police on the capital's streets. Official reports and comments also were slim in Iran's state-controlled media, though Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said the "main provocateurs" of Monday's protests were arrested. He did not elaborate on the number of people detained.

The state-run IRNA news agency euphemistically referred to one incident Tuesday in which the city's metro line was temporarily shut down near the Grand Bazaar, saying it happened "because of some people gathered there."

On Tuesday morning, Rouhani addressed a meeting of judges that included the head of the country's judiciary and parliament. While a relative moderate within Iran's theocratic government, Rouhani struck a hard line himself against America.

"We are fighting against the United States, it wants to make an economic war," the president said. "The U.S. cannot defeat our nation; our enemies are not able to force us to their knees."

That's a far cry from the optimism shared by Rouhani and other Iranians when the 2015 nuclear deal was enacted between Iran and six world powers, including America. Iran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

But that deal came under Barack Obama's administration. Trump, who campaigned on a promise of tearing up the deal, pulled America out of the deal in May. The ensuing turmoil has seen international firms and oil companies back away from their own billion-dollar deals with Iran.

Rouhani's own power within Iran's government appears to be waning, with some openly calling for military officials to lead the country.

Iran also has suggested it could immediately ramp up its production of uranium in response to the U.S. pullout, potentially escalating the very situation the nuclear deal sought to avoid - having an Iran with a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that it could use to build atomic bombs.

Tehran has long denied wanting to build nuclear weapons, despite fears from the West and the United Nations.

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, speaking at the same event as Rouhani, appeared to directly criticize his administration.

"The government hasn't done enough to confront the economic problems," the conservative politician said, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Hundreds of Iranians hold rallies in support of the anti-regime protests in Iran, in cities including Washington, D.C., Stockholm, London, Paris and Berlin. About 400 people gathered in central Paris, and several hundred held a rally in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate with Iranian flags, drums and banners calling for a change of government.