Protests across Iran despite threats from Revolutionary Guard

Mass protests were held in many Iranian cities on Sunday, despite threats from the country's Revolutionary Guard.

The security forces again used force to suppress demonstrations against the country's authoritarian leadership, according to witnesses. Demonstrators were out on the streets of European cities to express support.

On Saturday, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Salami, called for an end to the protests. "The demonstrators must not test the patience of the system too far," he said in comments published by the state news agency IRNA.

"Today is the last day of the unrest. Do not come out onto the streets any longer," the general said, warning that the demonstrators would not be allowed to turn the country's universities into a battleground.

Protesters defied the warning on Sunday by demonstrating in Tehran, Mashhad in the north-east and in other parts of the country. Police are reported to have used tear gas in Tehran, and the security forces used violence to disperse students on a campus in Mashhad, according to witnesses.

The Iranian parliament approved a 20% pay increase for the security forces on Sunday, IRNA reported. The justification given for the move was to align their pay better with that of state employees in civilian occupations.

The increase came after sharp criticism over recent weeks of security force actions to contain the protests that erupted following the death in mid-September of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin.

She had been detained by the morality police for violating the country's strict Islamic dress code and died in custody days later.

The Tasnim news agency, which is seen as an IRGC mouthpiece, reported the detention of Toomaj Salehi, a rapper known across the country for his protest songs. Tasnim reported that he had been arrested for inciting violence as he was attempting to flee the country.

Salehi's uncle queried the report on his Telegram channel. There were widespread protests at the detention on social media. Salehi was detained a year ago and released with a warning.

Observers are seeing Salami's warning as a threat that the IRGC itself and military could be used to suppress protest.

The Iranian internet remains severely restricted, with many social media sites down. The leadership in Tehran accuses what it terms the country's "enemies" of inciting the violence, singling out the United States and Israel.