Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi praised Iranian youth for their roles in the ongoing protests inside the country with a post on social media on Sunday morning.
“My fellow compatriots, I extend my greetings to each and every one of you who bravely, over the past week, deprived Khamenei and his regime of sleep,” he stated in a video shared on social media. “In particular, I wish to salute the patriotic teenagers and young people of our country, whom I call the ‘V Generation’ – V for Victory.”
“As I have said before, the key issue is the continued occupation of the streets and the creation of road blockages to prevent and hinder the regime’s repression."
“Maintain discipline and solidarity. Victory is yours,” Pahlavi’s message concluded.
At least 15 Iranian protesters killed
At least 15 protesters and one member of security forces have been killed during the seven-day nationwide protests in Iran, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), although true numbers coming out of the country have been hard to verify.
The protests spread into their seventh day on Saturday, with demonstrations in as many as 70 cities and towns across Iran. The protests originally began last Sunday when Tehran’s bazaaris shut their shops and took to the streets over the country’s dire economic crisis.
Saturday also saw the first response from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who stated, “Protesting is legitimate, but protesting is different from rioting. We talk with protesters. The officials must talk with the protesters.
But there’s no point in talking with a rioter. Rioters must be put in their place.
“We will not give in to the enemy,” he stated.