Reuters
At least 10 new deaths have been reported in protests in Iran, the country’s state TV reported Monday. Authorities gave no details on the latest deaths, which came after two demonstrators were killed in clashes Saturday night. “Some armed protesters tried to take over some police stations and military bases but faced serious resistance from security forces,” Iranian state TV said. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani struck a defiant tone as the death toll rose, saying in a statement Monday that “the nation themselves will respond to the rioters and lawbreakers.” “This is nothing,” he said of the latest violence. A day earlier, in his first speech on the unrest since it erupted in Masshad on Thursday, Rouhani said citizens are “free to express their criticism of the government” but authorities will not “tolerate any destruction of property or social order.” The protests, the largest show of dissent since 2009, have gained momentum in multiple cities, with crowds reportedly chanting “death to the dictator.”