Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed not to yield after US President Donald Trump threatened to come to the aid of protesters, as rights groups reported a sharp rise in arrests following days of unrest sparked by soaring inflation.
Speaking in a recorded appearance on Saturday, Khamenei said the Islamic Republic "will not yield to the enemy" and that rioters should be "put in their place."
State-affiliated media reported three deaths on Saturday, with rights groups saying more than 10 had already died in demonstrations across Iran since Sunday, as the collapsing rial currency hits an economy already undermined by sanctions.
Khamenei admitted for the first time on Saturday that the Iranian protesters, led by the bazaari middle class, “have a point” and that the economic situation in Iran “lacks stability.”
Khamenei addressed the protests through his official Farsi-speaking account, calling the Bazaaris “among the most loyal Iranians in the country.
“First, the bazaar community and the bazaari, the bazaar merchants, are among the most loyal strata in the country to the Islamic system and the Islamic Revolution. We know the bazaar well, and in the name of the bazaar and the bazaari, one cannot confront the Islamic Republic and the Islamic system.
“Yes, these gatherings were mostly by bazaaris, but what they said was correct. When a bazaari looks at the country’s monetary situation, the decline in the value of the national currency, and the instability of the currency and foreign exchange, which makes the business environment unstable, he says, ‘I cannot do business,’ and he is right. The country’s officials accept this, and I know that the honorable president and other senior officials are seeking to remedy this problem.”
Khamenei closed his statements by blaming rioters for pushing the protests out of proportion and shifting the focus from legitimate economic concerns to generic anti-regime rhetoric.
“What is important is that a group of enemy mercenary agitators stand behind the bazaaris and chant slogans against Islam, against Iran, and against the Islamic Republic. This is important. Protest is justified, but protest is different from rioting,” he wrote.
"The objection is justified, but protest is different from rioting. We talk with the protester; the officials must talk with the protester; talking with the rioter is of no use. The rioter must be put in his place."
Iranian protesters call on spectators to 'join' them
Videos circulating on social media, which Reuters could not immediately verify, purported to show protests in southern and western Iran. In one, marchers called on other Iranians to come onto the streets, chanting "We don't want spectators: join us."
Mehr and Fars news agencies, both state-affiliated, reported that a security forces member and two demonstrators were killed in Malekshahi, a western town, when what they called armed protesters tried to enter a police station.
Authorities have attempted to maintain a dual approach to the unrest, saying protests over the economy are legitimate and will be met by dialog, while meeting some demonstrations with tear gas amid violent street confrontations.