Washington condemns Iran for using 'lethal force' against protesters
The White House on Sunday
condemned protest-hit Iran for using "lethal force" against
demonstrators during unrest that left two dead -- a civilian and a policeman --
and saw authorities arrest dozens and restrict internet access.
"The United States supports the Iranian people
in their peaceful protests against the regime that is supposed to lead
them," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.
"We condemn the lethal force and severe communications
restrictions used against demonstrators."
The unrest erupted on Friday,
hours after it was announced that the price of gas would rise to 15,000 rials
per liter (12 US cents) from 10,000 for the first 60 liters, and to 30,000
rials for any extra fuel bought after that each month.
It is a rise many consumers can
ill afford, given that Iran's economy has been battered since May of last year,
when President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from a 2015 nuclear
agreement and reimposed crippling sanctions.
Access to the internet was
restricted a day after the demonstrations broke out.
A policeman was shot in a clash
with "rioters" in the western city of Kermanhshah on Saturday and
died the following day, provincial police chief Ali Akbar Javidan said,
according to IRNA state news agency.
Several people were also wounded
and dozens arrested in the demonstrations that saw motorists block highways and
others torch public property.
Some of the worst violence seen so
far was in the central city of Sirjan, where acting governor Mohammad
Mahmoudabadi said a civilian was killed and fuel stations were among the public
property attacked and damaged.