First deaths of Iran anti-government protests reported

At least two people were reported killed and others injured in a shooting by police during an anti-government protest overnight in Dorud, Iran.

Demonstrators were said to be heard shouting, “death to Rouhani,” and “death to Khamenei,” referring to the country’s two top leaders, President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

{mosads}Saturday marked the second day of anti-government protests in Iran that have spread to several major cities, including the capital, Tehran.

The deaths are the first to be reported during the demonstrations.

At first, the protests were focused on high food prices, corruption and the cost of Iran’s participation in the Syrian and Yemeni wars. As demonstrations have progressed, however, chanted slogans have become more specifically anti-clerical, calling for an end to theocratic rule.

President Trump late last week took to Twitter to note reports of “protests by Iranian citizens fed up with regime’s corruption & its squandering of the nation’s wealth to fund terrorism abroad.”

“The world is watching!” he added.

— This report was updated at 7:30 a.m.