New Protests in Five Iranian Cities

On Thursday, August 2, the cities of Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz, Karaj and Sari were the scene of protests, with people going out on the streets to demonstrate against dire economic conditions, inflation and high prices.

In Mashhad, the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported [Persian link] that dozens of people gathered in the city’s Martyrs Square to protest. In an unexpected move, General Yaghoub-Ali Nazari, commander of the Revolutionary Guards in Khorasan Razavi, met with the demonstrators and talked to them. “People are complaining about a number of economic issues and solutions must be found for them,” the general said.

“The situation is under control,” said Hasan Heydari, political and security deputy of the province’s Justice Department. “Today, nobody was arrested in Mashhad.”

IRNA also reported that in Falak-e Aval (“First Square”) in Rajaei Shahr, Karaj near Tehran, a group of demonstrators gathered at noon and chanted slogans to protest against economic conditions [Persian link]. This square was also the scene of protests two nights ago, although that demonstration lasted only a few hours.

According to IRNA, in the city of Sari, the capital of the northern province of Mazandaran, a group of “no more than a 100” demonstrated outside the provincial government office and chanted against high prices and the conditions of the economy.

Videos posted online show further demonstrations took place in Isfahan and Shiraz as well.