At least 12 people have been killed in the ongoing protests in Iran, and armed protesters have tried to take over police stations and military bases, state TV reported on Monday. Two more people died overnight in fresh unrest in Iran local media reported, despite President Hassan Rouhani calling for calm and vowing more “space for criticism” in a bid to head off days of protest. “The people are absolutely free in expressing their criticisms and even protests,” Rouhani said in a message on the state broadcaster. There were also reports of protests in the cities of Kermanshah, Khorramabad, Shahinshahr and Toyserkan in the west, and Zanjan in north Iran. Verifying reports remained challenging due to travel restrictions and sporadic blocks on mobile internet and popular social media sites including Telegram and Instagram.

Source: Pakistan Today January 01, 2018 11:15 UTC