President Ebrahim Raisi has called on law enforcement to act '
firmly
' against protesters in Iran after nine days of protests over the death of a young woman in the custody of vice police, in which more than 40 people died .
Abroad, demonstrations supporting the movement in Iran took place in several countries on Saturday September 24 - in Canada, the United States, Chile, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Iraq, a country neighboring Iran.
Read alsoIran: reformers demand the end of the compulsory wearing of the veil
The protests were sparked on September 16, the day of Mahsa Amini's death, three days after she was arrested in Tehran for "
wearing inappropriate clothing
" and breaking the strict dress code for women in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
According to the non-detailed official report including demonstrators and police, 41 people were killed.
But the toll could be heavier, with the Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) reporting at least 54 protesters killed in the crackdown.
Describing the protests
as "riots
", Ebrahim Raïsi, an ultra-conservative, called on Saturday "
the authorities concerned to act firmly against those who undermine the security and peace of the country and the people
".
In a statement, he stressed "
the need to distinguish between protest and disruption of public order and safety
".
scarves on fire
Iran's Foreign Ministry blamed the United States, Iran's sworn enemy, for the unrest and warned that "
efforts to violate Iran's sovereignty will not go unanswered
".
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, quoted by the official IRNA agency, told him that he expected "
the judiciary to quickly prosecute the main perpetrators and leaders of these riots
", after the announcement by the police of the arrest of more than 700 people.
On Saturday evening, the demonstrations again affected several cities in Iran, including the capital Tehran where a viral video showed a woman walking with her head uncovered and waving her veil in the middle of the street, flouting strict dress rules.
In Iran, women must cover their hair and body to below the knees and must not wear tight pants or ripped jeans, among other things.
Viral footage of the protests showed Iranian women burning their headscarves.
The reformist "
People's Union of Islamic Iran
" party on Saturday urged the state to rescind the headscarf requirement and release those arrested.
In a new Instagram post, two-time Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi urged the people of the world to "
stand in solidarity
" with protesters in Iran and hailed the "
brave women who are leading the protests to demand their rights
."
Violent repression
The demonstrations are marked by clashes with the security forces and police vehicles are set on fire by protesters who chant anti-government slogans, according to media and activists.
For several days, online videos have shown scenes of violence in Tehran and other major cities such as Tabriz (northwest).
On some, we see the security forces shooting at demonstrators.
Amnesty International accuses the security forces of "
deliberately (...) firing live ammunition at protesters
", calling for "
urgent international action to end the repression
".
Internet connections are still disrupted on Saturday, with the blocking of WhatsApp and Instagram.
NetBlocks, a London-based site that monitors internet blockages around the world, also reported on Skype.