Protests in Iran Continue as Tehran Urges People to Calm Down

The protests in Iran continued throughout last night, with their participants apparently reluctant to respond to the attempts made by the country’s leadership to ease tensions.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called upon his fellow countrymen to remain calm, admitting that protesting and voicing discontent are among the “constitutional rights” of Iranian people, but pointing out that criticism should not be marred with violence.

"Criticism [is] different from violence or inflicting damage on public properties," Rouhani, said as quoted by the Iranian broadcaster Press TV in the outlet's Twitter post.

Two protesters were killed in Doroud, a city in the Iranian province of Lorestan, though local authorities blamed foreign agents for this loss of life.

Earlier on Sunday, the Iranian authorities also restricted access to the social media apps Instagram and Telegram, which the protesters allegedly employ to coordinate their actions, according to media reports.

'Hijab Hero'

A lone female protester has earned praise on social media, with some people even calling her a hero, after she was captured on camera standing bareheaded and waving a white flag, effectively violating the laws imposed since 1979 that require women to observe the Islamic dress code, which includes wearing a hijab in public.

According to the Mirror however, police in Tehran had announced earlier that they no longer detain women who do not adhere to these rules.