Iran holds pro-government rallies after price protests turn political

Thousands of supporters of Iran's clerical establishment, including 50,000 Revolutionary Guards and Basij militia members, rallied on Friday, state media reported, after protests against rising food prices turned political.

"The enemies mistakenly think the Iranian people will respond to ...the rumours that they spread and lies they tell," Guards commander Hossein Salami said in televised remarks at the massive rally outside the capital Tehran, which marked a major victory in Iran's war with Iraq in the 1980s.

Iranian authorities say the unrest over rising food prices has been fomented by foreign enemies. On Friday, state television showed pro-government marchers chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" in southwestern cities of Yasuj and Shahr-e Kord, scenes of recent protests.

Iranians took to the streets last week after a cut in food subsidies caused prices to soar by as much as 300% for some flour-based staples. The protests quickly turned political, with crowds calling for an end to the Islamic Republic, echoing unrest in 2019 which began over fuel prices hike.

The government acknowledged the protests but described them as small gatherings. State media reported last week the arrests of "dozens of rioters and provocateurs".

Authorities have also arrested a number of labour union and rights activists, accusing them of contacts with foreigners, a leading rights group said on Friday.

"The arrests of prominent members of civil society in Iran on baseless accusations of malicious foreign interference is another desperate attempt to silence support for growing popular social movements in the country," said Tara Sepehri Far, senior Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch, in a statement.

Iran's state television on Tuesday showed what it described as details of the arrest of two French citizens earlier this month, saying they were spies who had sought to stir up unrest.

France has condemned their detention as baseless and demanded their immediate release, in an incident likely to complicate ties between the countries as wider talks stall on reviving a nuclear deal.

In recent months, teachers across Iran have staged protests demanding better wages and working conditions. Dozens have been arrested.

Social media users inside Iran say internet services have been disrupted since last week, seen as an apparent effort by authorities to stop use of social media to organise rallies and disseminate videos. Iranian officials denied any disruption to Internet access.