DUBAI: Hundreds of protesters, some throwing rocks, clashed with police in Iran's central city of Isfahan on Friday, Iranian news agencies and social media posts said.
Clashes happened after officers fired tear gas at demonstrators backing farmers demanding water for crops.
Isfahan, Iran's third largest city, has been the site of protests over water shortages held in the dried up riverbed of the Zayandeh Rud, the largest river in the region.
The semi-official news agency Fars said demonstrators threw rocks and set fire to a police motorcycle and an ambulance. "They are in groups of 40-50 on streets around Khaju Bridge and are estimated at around 300," Fars said.
State TV showed police firing teargas at demonstrators gathered in the dried riverbed. A video posted on social media showed protesters chanting back: "Shame on you!" Reuters could not independently verify the clip.
Overnight, farmers holding a two-week long peaceful sit-in to protest against water shortages in the drought-stricken region were dispersed by unidentified men who set fire to their tents. Social media posts said they were security forces while state media said they were "thugs".
State media earlier said farmers had agreed to leave after reaching a deal with authorities.
The farmers in Isfahan province have for years protested against the diversion of water from the Zayandeh Rud to supply other areas, leaving their farms dry and threatening their livelihoods. A pipeline carrying water to Yazd province has been repeatedly damaged, according to Iranian media.
In July, street protests broke out over water shortages in Iran's oil-producing southwest, with the United Nations' human rights chief criticising the fatal shooting of protesters. Tehran rejected the criticism.
Iran has blamed its worst drought in 50 years for the water shortages, while critics also point to mismanagement.
With an economy crippled by U.S. sanctions, Iran has been the Middle East's worst-hit country in the COVID-19 pandemic. The drought has forced Iran to import a record volume of wheat.
Protesters, police clash in central Iran after rally over water shortages
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Protesters, police clash in central Iran after rally over water shortages
- Isfahan has been the site of protests over water shortages held in the dried up riverbed of Zayandeh Rud, the region’s largest river
- Semi-official news agency Fars said demonstrators threw rocks and set fire to a police motorcycle and an ambulance
Syrian government vows to protect Kurds in Aleppo, accuses SDF of planting explosives
- Kurdish-led group targeting neighborhoods with mortars, machine guns, Ministry of Defense says
- Army declares Ashrafieh, Sheikh Maqsoud ‘closed military zone’ after hundreds of civilians evacuated
LONDON: The Syrian government on Wednesday affirmed its commitment to protect all citizens, including Kurds, as armed tensions in Aleppo between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces continued for a fourth day.
The Ministry of Defense accused the SDF of planting explosives on roads and setting booby traps in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, and bombarding them with mortar shells and heavy machine gun fire.
The army designated the two neighborhoods a “closed military zone” after the Syrian Arab Red Crescent evacuated 850 civilians from the area.
The government said in a statement that the SDF played no role in the city’s security and military affairs.
“This confirms that the exclusive responsibility for maintaining security and protecting residents falls upon the Syrian state and its legitimate institutions, in accordance with the constitution and applicable laws,” it said.
Protecting all citizens, including Kurds, was a non-negotiable responsibility upheld without discrimination based on ethnicity or affiliation, it said.
It also rejected any portrayal of its security measures as targeting a specific community, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.
“The authorities concerned stress that those displaced from areas of tension are exclusively civilians, all of them Kurdish citizens who left their neighborhoods out of fear of escalation,” the statement said.
“They sought refuge in areas under the control of the state and its official institutions, which clearly demonstrates the trust of Kurdish citizens in the Syrian state and its ability to provide them with protection and security and refutes claims alleging that they face threats or targeted actions.”
The government called for the withdrawal of armed groups from Aleppo.
At least three civilians and a Syrian soldier have been killed and dozens more injured in Aleppo since Tuesday. Authorities have accused the SDF of targeting medical and educational facilities.
The escalation in violence has dealt a blow to an agreement between the two sides that was meant to be implemented by the end of last year.
The Syrian government reached an agreement with the SDF in March that included plans to integrate the group’s military, territory and natural resources, including oil fields, into the new government in Damascus.
