New protests break out in Iran for the first time after brutal crackdowns
On Saturday, students from several universities in Iran held new protests — for the first time since the country's authorities brutally suppressed mass demonstrations that took place in January.
Video screenshot
BBC journalists verified footage showing a student demonstration at Tehran's Sharif University of Technology, which began on the first day of the academic semester.
The video captured hundreds of protesters on the campus grounds. Many of them carried Iranian flags and chanted "Death to the dictator!", clearly referring to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The same footage shows another group of people supporting the government. Later, clashes broke out between the two hostile camps.
Verified photographs of a sit-in strike at Tehran's Shahid Beheshti University also emerged. Additionally, BBC journalists confirmed the authenticity of footage from another capital university: Amirkabir University of Technology.
In the northeastern city of Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city, local students chanted "Freedom!" and "Students, shout, shout for your rights!"
It is reported that demonstrations involving a significant number of people took place throughout the day in other areas. Calls are being made to continue the protests on Sunday.
It is not yet clear how authorities reacted to the demonstrations or if there were any arrests.
US gathers military force
The new demonstrations in Iran are taking place amidst a concentration of American troops in the region and threats from US President Donald Trump to use military force against Iranian authorities.
Will the US strike Iran? Tensions rise amid recent negotiations
The US and its European allies fear that Iran intends to use its nuclear program to produce weapons; Tehran insists it is developing atomic technology only for peaceful purposes.
This Tuesday, representatives from Iran and the US held talks in Switzerland and stated that they had achieved some progress.
But after that, Trump stated that "probably within the next 10 days" the world would find out if an agreement had been reached, or if Washington would resort to military force.
In the past, Trump supported demonstrations in Iran, including urging protesters not to stop their actions and promising that "help is on the way."
However, Trump's threats have not yet materialized, and the opposition abroad is calling on the head of the White House to strike Iran, hoping this will lead to the regime's downfall. Some other opposition representatives oppose US military intervention.
The mass protests that took place in January became the most widespread since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The US-based human rights organization Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) reports that it has verified the killing of at least 6,159 people during the demonstrations, including 5,804 protesters, 92 children, and 214 people connected to the authorities.
Hrana also states that it is investigating an additional 17,000 potential deaths.
At the end of January, Iranian authorities stated that more than 3,100 people were killed during the protests, but most of them were allegedly security forces personnel or bystanders attacked by "rioters."
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