The Islamic Republic found itself under a multi-flank attack Saturday, with university students across Iran protesting, and rallies taking place around the world.
Protests and strikes at around 100 universities began Saturday morning as planned. Universities in Tehran, Esfahan, Mashhad and other cities were scenes of strikes. As classes resumed on the first day of the week, students entered campuses but refused to attend lectures. Instead, they began protesting.
Students have called for a general strike and dozens of professors have supported their call and demanded the release of those students who have been arrested so far.
There were also crowds outside university gates in the streets.
A general strike also commenced in Kurdish towns and cities in the west of the country and more street demonstrations are expected throughout the day and especially in the evening.
The killing of at least 19 Sunni Baluchi protesters in Zahedan, southeast Iran on Friday, shocked the country and was the first mass killing in one location since the protests began two weeks ago. It intensified demonstrations Friday evening that began on September 16, when Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman died in hospital after receiving fatal wounds in the custody of Iran's hijab police.
A social media account has claimed 42 people were killed on Friday and has published their names.
Rallies in support of Iranian protesters already took place in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Jakarta on Saturday and many large gatherings are expected in Europe and later in North America.
Here we will provide live coverage of university protests, and later will report on street protests as they happen, possibly in a new thread.
We ended this live coverage at 15:30 local time and began a live coverage of street protests, after university students poured into the streets and other people joined them.
Follow our website for the latest on Iran protests.
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Pro-regime Basij members attacked protesting students in tehran university. In this video, students rush toward the attackers and shout "Shame on you.
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People gathered in the streets arounf the Azad University in Karaj, west of Tehran to support student who are protesting on campus.
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Students and ordinary protesting in Gohar Dasht, 20 miles west of Tehran in support of university demonstrations and strikes on Saturday.
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University of Shiraz students protesting on Saturday, joining dozens of other campuses around the country.
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In another university in Esfahan Province students chant "This is the year of blood, Seyyed Ali will be done", referring to Ali Khamenei.
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An unconfirmed report at 11:30 local time says security forces firing guns outside the University of Esfahan and they closed the entrance to the city's subway. The video below shows the protest outside the university before security forces began firing.
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Large protest march in the University of Mashhad on saturday. Mashhad is the second largest city in Iran and an important religious center.
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Hundreds of student gathered on the campus of Tehran University Saturday morning, announcing a strike and demanding the release of political prisoners.
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Student protesting in the Science and Industry University of Tehran.
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Protest in the University of Esfahan Saturday morning.
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A large protest in the University of Yazd, a relatively conservative city in central Iran.
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Hundreds of students protesting in the University of Zanjan on Saturday.
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