Protesters in Iran set off fireworks on Tuesday to celebrate their national team's World Cup loss to the United States, their country's sworn enemy, according to videos posted on social media.
"Citizens of Saqez started shooting fireworks after USA's first goal against Iran soccer team," the London-based Iran Wire website posted on Twitter.
The site shared a video showing fireworks with cheers in the background.
AFP could not verify the content immediately.
Iranian authorities maintain a heavy security posture in the country against what they describe as 'riots' which erupted after the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, on September 16, three days after her arrest for allegedly violating Iran's mandatory dress code for women.
His hometown of Saqez, along with other towns in the western province of Kurdistan, are hotbeds of protests against the clerical regime.
Another nighttime video by Kurdish activist Kaveh Ghoreishi showed a neighborhood in the town of Sanandaj with cheers and honking after the United States scored the only goal of the encounter.
“They lost to the people”
Fireworks were also set off in Mahabad, another city in Kurdistan, after the defeat of Iran, according to videos shared on the internet.
Norway-based human rights group Hengaw said Iranian motorists celebrated the US victory by honking their horns in Mahabad.
According to this organization, fireworks also lit up the sky of Marivan, another city in the province of Kurdistan where the security forces have carried out a harsh crackdown on demonstrators in recent days.
Fireworks and shouts of joy were also heard in Paveh and Sarpol-e Zahab, in the province of Kermanshah, according to the same source.
“Who would have ever thought that I would be happy with America's goal!
tweeted Iranian gaming journalist Saeed Zafarany after his country's loss.
Podcaster Elahe Khosravi also tweeted: "They lost to the people, to the opponent and even" to the government.
" They lost.
On and off the pitch,” Iranian journalist Amir Ebtehaj tweeted.
The victory of the United States excluded Iran from the World Cup.
“And the Islamic Republic football team circus is over,” tweeted former journalist Hamid Jafari.
According to the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights, at least 448 people have been killed by Iranian security forces in a crackdown that has lasted more than two months.
