Tehran launches pro-government protests in Iran

Authorities say they arrested 180 ringleaders. The total number of people detained remains unclear, but the UN human rights office put it at more than 1,000 last Tuesday. Rear-Admiral Ali Fadavi, deputy commander in chief of the Guards, warned Sunday that Iran would severely punish "mercenaries" arrested over the violence. Iran has blamed the unrest on the Pahlavi royal family ousted in the 1979 Islamic Revolution and armed opposition group the People's Mujahedeen of Iran, which it considers a "terrorist" cult.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​