Iran prosecutor warns of 'decisive' response if protests destabilise country

Iran's prosecutor general said peaceful economic protests are legitimate but warned any attempt to create insecurity would be met with a legal, proportionate and 'decisive' response. The demonstrations began among shopkeepers in Tehran's mobile phone market and have been joined by students, but remain limited and concentrated in central Tehran.

Iran's prosecutor general, Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, said on Wednesday that recent economic protests were legitimate but warned that attempts to create insecurity would be met with a legal, proportionate and "decisive" response. The demonstrations began among shopkeepers in Tehran's large mobile phone market and were later joined by students at several universities. Authorities announced a short-notice bank holiday and some universities moved classes online, with officials citing cold weather and energy savings. Streets in parts of the capital were reported calm early on Wednesday. Key facts: - The prosecutor general described peaceful livelihood protests as understandable but said attempts to turn them into insecurity or destruction would prompt a legal and decisive response. - The protests began among shopkeepers in Tehran's mobile phone market and have been joined by students at multiple universities. - Demonstrations so far are reported as limited in scale and concentrated in central Tehran, with many areas of the city unaffected. - Authorities announced a bank holiday at short notice and some universities shifted to online classes; officials did not link those measures publicly to the protests. Summary: The demonstrations have so far had a limited, localised impact in central Tehran while authorities have taken steps such as short-notice closures. Officials have pledged legal measures if protests turn to insecurity; Undetermined at this time.