Tehran students take to the streets again amid US military build-up in region

By Tim Lister, CNN

(CNN) — Several rallies have taken place at universities in the Iranian capital, Tehran, for the second day running.

Iranian state media reported demonstrations in support of the government and against the United States, following anti-regime protests on Saturday.

Verified social media video showed scuffles Sunday between pro- and anti-regime groups at Amirkabir University.

Hossein Goldansaz, a professor at Tehran university, told the official Mehr news agency that the university was affected by the mourning period for those killed in January’s unrest.

“One of the students’ main points is that we are mourning for the people who lost their lives in these events, those who were our friends,” he said.

“We will allow them to hold their demonstrations on the university and if someone asks us for permission, we will give them permission, provided they respect the red lines,” Goladansaz said.

“Students should be very careful not to lead to violence and I told the students that if this happens, I will not support them in any way,” he added.

Students held protests at several Iranian universities at the start of a new semester on Saturday, some clashing with pro-government groups, Reuters reported citing local news agencies and posts on social media.

The protests coincided with ceremonies traditionally held after 40 days to mourn those killed by security forces during last month’s anti-government demonstrations.

A video purportedly showed rows of marchers at Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology condemning Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a “murderous leader,” and calling for Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s toppled shah, to be a new monarch.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump claimed that 32,000 people were killed during last month’s protests, a far higher death toll than has previously been reported.

The US has been building up its presence in the Middle East in recent weeks, putting increasing pressure on Iran as Trump weighs a potential strike on the country. The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group is currently headed toward the region to join another carrier strike group, with dozens of combat planes also moved to the region.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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