Iran leadership meet amidst ongoing protests

Three of Iran’s leaders held a meeting over the weekend amidst the ongoing protests in the country. The meeting was to stress the need for security and unity at this time as Tehran seeks to blame its enemies for the unrest it is currently facing.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Ejei met Saturday to discuss the need for “security and calm” as the country faces continued unrest following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the Morality Police. The demonstrations have taken escalatory turns, with dozens killed by the violence.

“At the moment, the Iranian society needs unity among all groups regardless of language, religion, or ethnicity to overcome hostility and division by Iran’s enemies,” said the statement from the president’s website.

On the same day, Iran’s capital Tehran and several other cities in the country saw continued protests despite the internet restrictions that were imposed. Videos of the demonstrations continued to go viral on social media by Sunday, showing protests in Sanandaj, Isfahan, Karaj, Rasht, and Shiraz, among others.

A hacker group also hijacked the Iranian State Television feed for several seconds on Saturday, calling for protest and chanting the slogan, “woman, life, freedom.” Photos of Amini and several other women whose deaths were put front and center in recent weeks were also shown.

The state-owned IRNA news outlet confirmed that demonstrations were taking place in several universities in Tehran, Araj, Zanjan, Hamedan, Mashhad, Bushehr, Gilan, Kerman, and other cities.

In the protests, women were seen either publicly cutting their hair or taking off or burning their hijabs in protest. Tehran has sought to blame the US and other foreign governments for the unrest.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday last week announced plans to bar entry from around 10,000 members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards in an effort to put more pressure on Tehran as the protests are already in their fourth week.

Speaking at a news conference, Trudeau said the top 50 percent of the IRGC’s leadership would have a lifetime entry ban under the new penalties implemented in Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Trudeau said those that are being targeted include over 10,000 officers and senior members of the IRGC that are deemed to be responsible for Iran’s “heinous state behavior.”