Iran’s president ordered an investigation into violence at recent protests in the western province of Ilam, after video surfaced that appeared to show security forces shooting at demonstrators and storming a hospital.
The interior ministry said Tuesday that it was sending a delegation to investigate the skirmishes, which began after gunfire erupted at a protest on Saturday. Activists said security forces had fired on the protesters, while state media accused protesters of attacking security forces, saying that some were armed. The New York Times was not able to verify the competing claims.
A Kurdish rights group, Hengaw, reported that at least six protesters in Ilam were killed by security forces over the weekend. The Iranian state news agency IRNA initially reported that there were injuries at the protests, but not deaths, then later said that people had been killed without offering details.
Such incidents have taken on heightened concern for Iran’s government in the wake of a warning from President Trump that the United States would come to the “rescue” if peaceful Iranian protesters were killed.
The U.S. State Department condemned the incident at the hospital in Ilam in a post on its Persian language X account, calling it “barbaric” and a “crime.”
Protests have convulsed Iran for the past 10 days, as the country grapples with a deepening economic crisis.
The initial demonstrations were led by merchants protesting the plummeting value of the Iranian rial. They have since spread to many universities and cities across the country, and broadened into calls to topple Iran’s theocratic government, led by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
While not as large as previous protests movements in Iran, some of the demonstrations have turned violent. Activists accuse security forces of firing at protesters, while the authorities accuse some protesters of attacking officers and government buildings.
Some of the worst violence has been in Iran’s border regions, which are home to minority groups such as Iranian Kurds, who form the largest demographic in Ilam.
On Saturday, video posted on social media by activists and verified by The Times showed a crowd of protesters descending on a government building in Ilam’s Malekshahi district. Minutes later, shots can be heard and the crowd begins to disperse in the opposite direction. At least one person can be seen injured and bleeding on the ground.
A day later, security forces appeared to storm a local hospital, according to videos posted online and verified by The Times. Hengaw, the rights group, said injured protesters had sought treatment there. The Times tried to confirm details with the hospital, but officials there could not be reached.
During a session of Iran’s Parliament on Tuesday, a conservative lawmaker from Ilam Province, Sara Fallahi, said that the protests were a peaceful gathering against poor living conditions, according to the state news agency, IRNA.
Ms. Fallahi, who is a member of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said the skirmishes began after the “enemy’s infiltration and divisive tactics,” according to IRNA, though she did not specify who the enemy was.
In recent days, the Iranian authorities have repeatedly warned U.S. and Israeli officials who have expressed support for the protests not to interfere in domestic affairs.
After days of tensions, the local authorities in the province’s security council released a statement on Tuesday saying the “unfortunate incident” on Saturday “has caused deep sorrow and regret.” It pledged to investigate, and said that “if any negligence occurred, a decisive and reassuring response will be taken.”
Protests in Ilam Province continued on Tuesday nevertheless. Video posted to social media and verified by The Times showed a large crowd of people streaming onto a street in the city of Abadanan. “Death to Khamenei,” the protesters in the video shout. “Death to the dictator.”
Sanam Mahoozi and Sanjana Varghese contributed reporting
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