UN Security Council to discuss Iran protests

The US-requested session is due this afternoon.

It’s not clear what outcome the meeting will yield. Members are divided in their views of the protests and could call a vote on whether to address the topic. It also comes as organizers in Iran planned a third day of pro-government rallies after Friday prayers. 

Thousands of Iranians part in pro-government rallies Wednesday and Thursday.

Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the UN, has praised the demonstrators, saying "the UN must speak out" on their behalf. But Moscow has warned against “external interference” in what it sees as an Iran’s internal affairs.

And Iranian authorities have described the protests as waning. Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said Thursday that about 42,000 people at most took part in the week of protests. He said they went on as long as they did because of the "leniency, restrain, tolerance and interaction" of the government.

Still, in addition to the deaths, hundreds of people have been arrested and Iranian authorities previously said some of those detained could face the death penalty. 

The protests began last week over rising food prices and Iran’s flagging economy before spreading to cities across nearly all of Iran’s provinces.

The demonstrations have since widened to become a general expression of anger over alleged government corruption and discontent with Iran’s clerical rulers.

Late Thursday, activists posted new videos purporting to show protesters challenging Iran’s government, including chants against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a hard-line Iranian cleric, blamed foreign social media platforms on Friday for the unrest, claiming that when when the country blocked social media "the riots stopped." Khatami added that Iran needed to create its own indigenous versions of popular social media apps. "The nation does not support a social network that has its key in the hands of the United States," he said.