At least 12 people killed in Iran amid protests over fuel prices

The death toll in Iran from protests over gasoline rationing and price hikes of at least 50 percent has risen to 12 over the past two nights, Al Arabiya sources confirmed.

One protester was killed in Sirjan on Friday night while four died from their wounds in the city of Mahmara, south of Ahwaz province. At least one person was killed in the Iranian capital of Tehran in the Shahriar district.

At least 13 people are being treated for injuries as of Saturday.

Protests have erupted in at least 37 cities, including Mashhad, Sirjan, Poldokhtar, Ahwaz, Abadan, Khoramshahr, Tabriz, Shiraz, Isfahan, Birjand, Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Shar-e Quds, Damavand, Sanandaj, Bandar Rig, Yazd, Babol, Rasht, Urmia, Garmsar, Neyshabur, Saqqez, Chabahar, Ahar, Rudehen, Eslamshahr, Tehran, Gachsaran, Zahedan, Fardis, Qazvin, Hamedan, Khorramabad, and Kermanshah.

Iran imposed petrol rationing and raised pump prices by at least 50 percent on Friday, saying the move was aimed at helping citizens in need with cash handouts.

Videos being shared on social media showed protesters gathering in squares across the southwestern city of Ahwaz in Iran’s Khuzestan province. One video showed tires being burned to block the roads while another showed a group of protesters shouting anti-regime slogans near a petrol station.