Protests spread in Iran as President Raisi vows to crack down

Up to 35 people have been killed during clashes with security forces, according to Iran. Iranian officials say five security personnel have also died, trying to quell outrage surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini, 22. But activists say the death toll is at least 50 and likely to be even higher.

His defiance is likely to increase the likelihood of a further escalation in towns and cities where demonstrators have been increasingly taking the fight to security forces in scenes rarely seen in Iran.

The demonstrations have evoked images of an anti-government protest in 2009, known as the green revolution, that followed contentious presidential elections and marked the last time citizens faced off against security forces on a large scale.

Some demonstrations appear to have at least in part been organised, with a restive urban youth and others opposed to strict societal rules, including on how women conduct themselves, and what they wear, coalescing around the death of Amini, who was accosted by morality police in Tehran for refusing to wear a hijab.

As long as the protesters continue to protest on the streets and wear out the security forces, they will sustain and maybe expand the momentum. In at least one small city, Oshnavieh, in north-west Iran, the regime has lost effective control and retreated to the outskirts. Internet provider Starlink has announced that it will activate its satellite so the internet can be accessed inside Iran.

Protesters gathered in the centre of the French capital and chanted slogans against Khamenei and also urged French president Emmanuel Macron to halt negotiations with Iran.

Demonstrators in the centre of the Swedish capital, Stockholm, also cut their hair while another group outside the Swedish parliament held up pictures of those killed.

Additional reporting by Nechirvan Mando and AFP