Mr Pezeshkian said on Thursday that he and his government would “end up in hell”, in the religious sense, if they failed to address economic hardship. At the same time, officials have warned of a firm response to any instability. On Friday, the prosecutor of the district of Lorestan, Ali Hasavand, was quoted on the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan website as saying “any participation in illegal gatherings and any action aimed at disturbing public order, destroying property, disobeying law enforcement, inciting illegal gatherings… constitute crimes and will be treated with the greatest firmness by the courts”.
“Certain opportunistic and hostile individuals are trying to undermine public security and peace by sowing chaos, disorder and committing murder.,” he added. Iran’s economy has been battered by years of crushing international sanctions over its nuclear programme, with raging inflation and a collapsing currency. The protest movement comes at a time in which Iran has been weakened following major blows dealt to its regional allies, including in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
