Iran’s Army Ground Forces Commander said on Wednesday that “rioters” would have no place in the Islamic Republic if the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered a tougher crackdown on nationwide protests, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. “ … should he decide to deal with them, rioters will no longer have a place in the country,“ Brig-Gen Kiumars Heydari said.
Heydari was speaking 40 days after bloodshed in the mostly Sunni town of Zahedan, which has become a flashpoint in the protests.
Iran has executed two Baluch militants convicted of “terrorism” charges dating back to about 2016, the semi-official news agency ILNA reported on Wednesday, in a move that may raise tensions further in the volatile Sistan-Baluchistan province, where Zahedan is located.
On Wednesday, shopkeepers in some Kurdish cities went on strike to show their respect to the people who were killed in Zahedan, said Kurdish rights group Hengaw.
Shopkeepers in the market town of Valiasr, in Tehran province, also closed their businesses to mark the 40th day since the killings took place, according to HRANA news agency.—Reuters
