Zürcher Nachrichten - Iran government building attacked as top prosecutor responds to protests

Spontaneous protests, driven by dissatisfaction at Iran's economic stagnation, began on Sunday in Tehran's largest mobile phone market, where shopkeepers shuttered their businesses, and have since drawn in students across the country.

"A portion of the provincial governors' office door and its glass were destroyed in an attack by a number of people," said Hamed Ostovar, the head of the judiciary in the city of Fasa, as quoted by the justice ministry's Mizan agency, without specifying how the attack was carried out.

The attack came after the country's prosecutor general said the protestor's economic concerns were legitimate, but warned action would be taken if necessary.

"Peaceful livelihood protests are part of social and understandable realities," Mohammad Movahedi-Azad told state media.

"Any attempt to turn economic protests into a tool of insecurity, destruction of public property, or implementation of externally-designed scenarios will inevitably be met with a legal, proportionate and decisive response."

His comments came days after the Mossad intelligence agency of Iran's arch-foe Israel posted on social media that it was "with you on the ground" in a message to Iranian protesters.

Posting on its Persian-language X account, the spy agency encouraged Iranians to "go out into the streets together".

Iran, which does not recognise Israel, has long accused it of conducting sabotage operations against its nuclear facilities and assassinating its scientists.

- Fighting for food -

The rallies have since built momentum, with students at 10 universities in the capital and in other cities, including Iran's most prestigious institutions, joining in on Tuesday.

The vice-president of the University of Tehran, Mohammad Reza Taghidokt, told the Iranian Students' News Agency that four students were arrested on Tuesday and released overnight.

Nevertheless, the protests remain limited in number and concentrated in central Tehran, with shops elsewhere in the sprawling metropolis of 10 million people unaffected.

Before the attack in Fasa, Iranian media had not reported any new protests on Wednesday.

Iran's economy has been in the doldrums for years, with heavy US and international sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme weighing heavily on it.

The currency, the rial, has also plunged in recent months, losing more than a third of its value against the US dollar since last year.

Some basic necessities are becoming unaffordable for a portion of the population, which has been suffering from international sanctions against Iran for decades.

"Everyone here is fighting for a scrap of bread," said one protester interviewed Tuesday by the daily newspaper Etemad.

- Last-minute bank holiday -

Schools, banks and public institutions were closed on Wednesday for a bank holiday, with officials saying the directive was due to the cold weather and the need to save energy.

The capital's prestigious Beheshti and Allameh Tabataba'i universities announced that classes would be held online throughout next week for the same reason, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

The authorities have not linked the bank holiday to the protests. Tehran is experiencing daytime temperatures in the low single digits, which is not unusual for the time of year.

Weekends in Iran begin on Thursdays, while this Saturday marks a long-standing national holiday.

Iran is no stranger to nationwide protests, but the latest demonstrations have not come close to the last major outbreak in 2022 triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman.

Her death in custody after being arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women sparked a wave of anger across the country.

Several hundred people were killed, including dozens of members of the security forces.

There were also widespread protests in 2019, sparked by a sharp increase in the price of petrol.

B.Brunner--NZN