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Anti-riot police vehicles and armed motorcycle security personnel were stationed at the Azadi Square in Tehran on Wednesday
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This came after protesters chanted anti-government slogans at a metro station in Tehran earlier in the day
Iranian authorities put anti-riot measures in place in capital Tehran on Wednesday, July 21, following continued and spreading water protests in the Khuzestan province, said local reports.
The reports said anti-riot police vehicles and armed motorcycle security personnel were stationed at the Azadi Square in Tehran on Wednesday in anticipation of protests spilling over from the oil-rich southwest province.
This came after protesters chanted anti-government slogans at a metro station in Tehran earlier on Wednesday, said the reports.
Iran is currently facing what experts say is its worst drought in 50 years. It has reportedly affected not just agriculture and livestock-farming but households as well.
One of the worst-hit areas is the Khuzestan province, which is traditionally home to the country’s Arab minority.
As such, the protests are taking a political turn as people in the region excoriate the elite Islamic clerics currently ruling the country.
Two young men have already died in the protests, said the reports. While the authorities blamed armed protesters for the deaths, the agitators pointed the finger of blame at the security forces.