Pro-government counter-protesters try to change narrative

Iran's police chief Hossein Ashtari weighed in with tough words in an attempt to stop the protests. "The people's security is our red line," he told state TV. "Those involved in sabotage and creating insecurity based on directives from outside the country should know that they will be strongly dealt with." The army's message on Friday, seen as a warning to protesters, read: "These desperate actions are part of the evil strategy of the enemy to weaken the Islamic regime."