Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has instructed security forces not to crack down on ongoing economic protests, according to comments released Wednesday by state‑aligned media.
In a video published by the Mehr news agency after a cabinet meeting, Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said the president had “ordered that no security measures be taken against the demonstrators.”
Ghaempanah added that authorities must distinguish between protesters and those he described as “rioters,” saying individuals carrying firearms, knives or machetes and attacking police stations or military sites would be treated as such.
The protests have grown in recent days amid worsening economic conditions.
