New unrest during protests in Iran

TEHRAN, Nov. 9 (DPA/EP) –

Iranian security forces have used live ammunition and tear gas this Wednesday against protesters who have taken to the streets again in the southeast of the country, according to eyewitnesses.

The demonstrations have returned again to cities such as Zahedan, in the province of Sistan-Baluchistan, with many shops closed for fear of violence while neighbors describe a situation similar to a war. “Now it’s day to day,” explained one of them.

On September 30, dozens of people died in Zahedan in what is now called “Bloody Sunday”, the blackest episode since the protests began a month and a half ago.

The death of young protesters has caused a spiral of violence after the usual 40 days of mourning and clashes with the Police once again arise.

An influential Sunni cleric in the province, Maulawi Abdulhamid, has criticized the response by the Iranian authorities, a country controlled by Shiite clergy. Other religious have left the official discourse and there have even been calls to vote on the demands of the protesters.

The protests began after the death of the young Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini, who died after being arrested in Tehran for allegedly not wearing the veil properly. The crackdown on the protests, which includes calls for the fall of the Iranian regime, has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 300 people, according to the non-governmental organization Iran Human Rights (IHR).