RFL/RE – Once he decided to publicly address the antiestablishment unrest that’s been roiling Iran since late last month, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on January 2 blamed foreign “enemies.”

The Hill – As 2018 begins, several large metropolitan centers in Iran are ablaze with major anti-government demonstrations roaring in the streets.

RFL/RE – Iran’s Telecommunications Minister says Telegram would only be unblocked if it removed “terrorist” content after the social media app was shut down during this week’s protests, reports AFP. Meanwhile Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement said “Iranian authorities must respect the rights of all demonstrators .”

Al-Arabia – President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States would throw its support behind those protesting in Iran at an “appropriate time,” his latest in a string of tweets since anti-government protests erupted last week against Tehran.

RFL/RE — Dozens of self-exiled Iranian citizens who live in Georgia have rallied in front of the Iranian Embassy in Tbilisi, demanding the resignation of Iranian President Hassan Rohani.

RFL/RE – European leaders have joined the United States in condemning what they called an “unacceptable loss of human lives” in nationwide protests in Iran and called on Tehran to allow peaceful protesters to freely express their grievances. French President Emmanuel Macron and EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini appealed to Tehran late on January 2 after the death of at …

RFL/RE – Days after deadly antigovernment rallies erupted in Iran, it is still difficult to pinpoint just who the protesters are and what, exactly, they want. The demonstrations lack a central voice, are taking place across vast and varied territories, and are attracting a broad range of Iranians, making it difficult to pinpoint any gender, age group, or economic class. …

Al-Arabia – French President Emmanuel Macron Tuesday expressed his concern over unrest in Iran during a telephone conversation with counterpart Hassan Rouhani and called for “restraint and appeasement,” his office said. Macron brought up “the number of victims from the demonstrations”, and the two leaders also decided to postpone French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s visit to Teheran this week …

AL-Arabia – EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini Tuesday deplored “the unacceptable loss of human lives” linked to the protests in Iran and called on “all concerned to refrain from violence”. A total of 21 people have been killed in the protests which erupted last Thursday in the second city Mashhad and quickly spread. “The European Union is closely following …

VOA – Iranian citizens are pushing back against accusations by Iranian officials that some people involved in the days-old nationwide protest movement have attacked government symbols at the behest of foreign agents. Callers in Iran who spoke to Tuesday’s edition of VOA Persian’s Straight Talk program angrily denounced assertions by several Iranian officials that some protesters had resorted to violence …