© ReutersPeople protest near the university of Tehran, Iran December 30, 2017
Iranian government officials have called for clemency for those arrested over the wave of protests that gripped the country for over a week, and said the ban of social media used by the protesters should be soon reversed.
The mass protests, which erupted in Iran on December 28, seem to be subsiding. According to Iranian officials, 22 people were killed
and 1,000 were arrested during the wave of public anger, which was the biggest since the 2009 protest over the results of a presidential election.
One person has reportedly died in police custody, with officials reporting it as an apparent suicide.President Hassan Rouhani reiterated on Monday that people should have the right to criticize the government, but warned that such public movements can be hijacked by enemies of Iran.
"A gathering and protest may be exploited by certain sides.
This is natural and happens all over the world," he said as cited by Iran's Press TV. He singled out the US for the efforts of President Donald Trump's administration to fan up the protests in Iran, noting that Washington failed to do so. The UN Security Council meeting called by the US to discuss the protests in Iran "destroyed US reputation" he
said.
Comment: It is also not a winning message because it is based on fabrications and lies. You can decieve a lot of people for a short time, or a few people for a long time, but not a lot of people for a long time.