Iranian minister warns government ‘will confront’ disorder as deaths reported

Iran’s interior minister warned Sunday that “violence, fear and terror” will be confronted after a third night of protests against the regime.

“Those who damage public property, disrupt the order and break the law must be responsible for their behavior and pay the price,” Abdolrahman Rahmani Fazli said on state television.

“The spreading of violence, fear and terror will definitely be confronted. The vigilance and intelligence of people has always led any plot to fail,” he said.

Protests continued for a third night on Saturday, with thousands marching across many towns and cities and reports of attacks on municipal buildings.

Killings

A semi-official news agency in Iran has quoted a government official as saying two protesters were killed at a rally overnight.

The Mehr news agency reported Sunday that the two protesters were killed in Doroud, in Iran's Lorestan province.

Mehr quoted Habibollah Khojastepour, the security deputy of Lorestan's governor, as saying an illegal gathering in Doroud took place on Saturday night and ignited clashes.

He said "two of our dear Doroudi citizens were killed," without elaborating on the cause of death.

Protests in Iran began Thursday in Mashhad over economic issues. The protests have expanded to cities across the Islamic Republic in the days since.

Dozens have been arrested since the protests began.