ISTANBUL
Iran’s police chief said calm returned across the country after days of unrest, describing Thursday night as “the calmest night since the unrest began,” and dismissing renewed calls for protests from outside Iran, Press TV reported.
Brig. Gen. Ahmadreza Radan said “no gatherings were reported nationwide despite calls for riots Thursday night,” adding that “calm was restored after a week of unrest” overnight.
“By God’s grace and with the conscious presence of the people, the last nail was driven into the coffin of terrorism,” Radan said.
Authorities say “initial protests over economic conditions escalated into violent riots involving attacks on public property and security forces.”
Iranian authorities announced “multiple arrests linked to the unrest in several provinces, including Fars, Kerman, Hormozgan, and Golestan," saying "weapons, explosives, and military-grade ammunition were seized during intelligence-led operations.”
Defense and security officials accused the US and Israel of backing and financing the violence, claims denied by Washington and Tel Aviv.
The anti-government protests began on Dec. 28 in the capital Tehran, when shopkeepers, merchants, and small business owners staged strikes and demonstrations to protest soaring inflation, the collapsing rial, and deteriorating economic conditions.
A US-based human rights group said at least 2,677 people were killed during the protests and nearly 19,100 others were detained, while Iranian authorities have not released an official toll yet.
The demonstrations have since spread to multiple cities and escalated into anti-government expressions of discontent involving workers, students, and others.
Iranian government officials have accused the US and Israel of backing what they described as “riots” and “terrorism.”