Iranian Protests Continue

Ignoring pleas for calm from President Hassan Rouhani, Iranian protesters took to the streets in several cities for the fifth day on Monday as pent-up economic and political frustrations boiled over in the broadest display of discontent in years. The Iranian government responded with a widening security clampdown and a pledge late Monday to crack down even harder. The death toll from the clashes was up to at least 21, and in the central province of Esfahan, one police officer was reported killed and three wounded in a gunfight. The protests are largely a result of economic problems and government corruption. When the protests started last Thursday, demonstrators chanted slogans about the weak economy. There have been burned cars, fires and wreckage on the pavement. Protesters also tried to storm police stations and military installations. Protests have taken place in at least half a dozen cities, as well as protests online. Even though strict Islamic rules have been somewhat relaxed (Concerts have been allowed, and the morals police are largely off the streets. Illegal parties are usually no longer raided), economic frustrations do not appear to have been offset by the greater social freedoms.

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