At least 12 people killed in Iran amid protests over fuel prices
The death toll in Iran from protests over gasoline
rationing and price hikes of at least 50 percent has risen to 12 over the past
two nights, Al Arabiya sources confirmed.
One protester was killed in Sirjan on Friday night
while four died from their wounds in the city of Mahmara, south of Ahwaz
province. At least one person was killed in the Iranian capital of Tehran in
the Shahriar district.
At least 13 people are being treated for injuries as
of Saturday.
Protests have erupted in at least 37 cities,
including Mashhad, Sirjan, Poldokhtar, Ahwaz, Abadan, Khoramshahr, Tabriz,
Shiraz, Isfahan, Birjand, Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Shar-e Quds, Damavand,
Sanandaj, Bandar Rig, Yazd, Babol, Rasht, Urmia, Garmsar, Neyshabur, Saqqez,
Chabahar, Ahar, Rudehen, Eslamshahr, Tehran, Gachsaran, Zahedan, Fardis,
Qazvin, Hamedan, Khorramabad, and Kermanshah.
Iran imposed petrol rationing and raised pump prices
by at least 50 percent on Friday, saying the move was aimed at helping citizens
in need with cash handouts.
Videos being shared on social media showed
protesters gathering in squares across the southwestern city of Ahwaz in Iran’s
Khuzestan province. One video showed tires being burned to block the roads
while another showed a group of protesters shouting anti-regime slogans near a
petrol station.
