The outbreak of unrest reflects growing discontent over rising prices and alleged corruption, as well as concern about the Islamic Republic's costly involvement in regional conflicts such as those in Syria and Iraq.The Revolutionary Guards, which along with its Basij militia spearheaded a crackdown against protesters in 2009, said in a statement carried by state media that there were efforts to repeat that year's unrest but added: "The Iranian nation ...will not allow the country to be hurt."State television said rallies were scheduled to be held in more than 1,200 cities and towns on Saturday. The events have been held annually since 2009.Openly political protests are rare in Iran, where security services are omnipresent.The last outbreak of significant unrest occurred in 2009 when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election as president ignited eight months of street protests. Pro-reform rivals said the vote was rigged.However, demonstrations are often held by workers over lay-offs or non-payment of salaries and by people who hold deposits in non-regulated, bankrupt financial institutions.Prominent conservative cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda called earlier for tough action against the protests.Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri, a close ally of President Hassan Rouhani, suggested that hardline conservative opponents of the pragmatist president might have triggered the protests but lost control of them."Those who are behind such events will burn their own fingers," state media quoted him as saying.Rouhani’s leading achievement, a 2015 deal with world powers that curbed Iran’s disputed nuclear program in return for a lifting of most international sanctions, has yet to bring the broad economic benefits the government says are coming.Unemployment stood at 12.4 percent this fiscal year, according to the Statistical Centre of Iran, up 1.4 percentage points from the previous year. Out of a population of 80 million, about 3.2 million Iranians are jobless.State media quoted Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi as saying in response: "The Iranian people see no value in the opportunistic claims by American officials and Mr. Trump."Friday witnessed the largest wave of demonstrations since 2009 as protests spread to Tehran and other cities.State broadcaster IRIB had not covered the protests "after being asked by relevant bodies that the issue should not be reflected on state radio and television," its website quoted an unnamed official as saying.Most of those arrested in the last two days had been released, state television said, without giving details."Enemy websites and foreign media continue to try to exploit economic hardships and the legitimate demands of the people in this respect to launch illegal gatherings and possible unrest," it said.The Revolutionary Guards and its Basij militia, which spearheaded a crackdown against protesters in 2009, said in a statement carried by state media: "The Iranian nation ... will not allow the country to be hurt."Openly political protests are rare in Iran, where security services are omnipresent.However, demonstrations are often held by workers over lay-offs or non-payment of salaries and by people who hold deposits in non-regulated, bankrupt financial institutions.Prominent conservative cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda has called for tough action against the protests.Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri, a close ally of President Hassan Rouhani, suggested that hardline conservative opponents of the pragmatist president might have triggered the protests but lost control of them."Those who are behind such events will burn their own fingers," state media quoted him as saying.Rouhani’s leading achievement, a 2015 deal with world powers that curbed Iran’s disputed nuclear program in return for a lifting of most international sanctions, has yet to bring the broad economic benefits the government says are coming.Unemployment has risen to 12.4 percent this fiscal year, according to the Statistical Centre of Iran, up 1.4 percentage points and leaving about 3.2 million Iranians jobless.Many reports of peaceful protests by Iranian citizens fed up with regime’s corruption & its squandering of the nation’s wealth to fund terrorism abroad. Iranian govt should respect their people’s rights, including right to express themselves. The world is watching! #IranProtests
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2017