SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Sudden protests broke out in Tehran on Tuesday as dozens of people chanted “death to the Islamic Republic of Iran”, according to footage.
Footage circulated on social media showing hundreds of people gather at Sadeghiyeh Metro Station in Tehran on Tuesday morning.
Wearing face masks, protesters chanted “death to the Islamic Republic of Iran” and “death to Wilayat al-Faqiyah” at the metro station.
The protests came after demonstrations continued for the fifth night in a row against water crisis in Khuzestan province.
صدها تن صبح سهشنبه با تجمع در ایستگاه مترو صادقیه تهران شعارهای «مرگ بر اصل ولایت فقیه» و «مرگ بر جمهوری اسلامی» سر دادند#العربیه_فارسی pic.twitter.com/gEGsJxn7oj
— العربیه فارسی (@AlArabiya_Fa) July 20, 2021
Protests broke out in several cities and towns in the oil-rich Khuzestan province over water crises, as Iran is facing its worst drought in 50 years.
The water crisis has affected households, devastated agriculture and livestock farming and led to power blackouts.
Iran’s economy has been crippled by U.S. sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers, some complaining that their wages are not being paid, and pensioners have been protesting for months, with discontent growing over an inflation rate of more than 50% and high unemployment.