The death toll and number of arrests rose further in Iran as protests sparked by the country's worst economic crisis in years continued for a seventh straight night on January 3.
Driven by anger over soaring prices, inflation, and a plunging currency, the demonstrations swept across Iran after shopkeepers in Tehran went on strike earlier in the week over high prices and economic stagnation.
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian tried to defuse the protests by promising "new decisions" to improve the economy, but the demonstrations soon expanded to include broader issues.
Economic woes have compounded years of political and environmental crises in Iran, including a severe drought in Tehran, a city of around 10 million people.
Death Toll Rises
Videos posted online and obtained by RFE/RL's Radio Farda showed that protests continued in the Iranian cities of Tehran, Yasuj, and Fardis, while fires burned in the streets of Mashhad and Mahallat on January 3.
