Tehran — New protests were held in Iran overnight, local media said Monday, despite President Hassan Rouhani calling for calm and vowing more "space for criticism" in a bid to head off days of unrest. Rouhani finally broke his silence on Sunday night about the protests that mark the biggest test for the regime since mass demonstrations in 2009. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse a small protest in Tehran’s Enghelab Square on Sunday evening, according to unverified social media videos. Protesters in the small northwestern town of Takestan torched a school for clergy and government buildings, the ILNA news agency said, while the state broadcaster said two people had died in Dorud after crashing a stolen fire engine. There were also reports of protests in the cities of Izeh (southwest), Kermanshah and Khorramabad (west), Shahinshahr (northwest) and Zanjan (north). Verifying reports remained challenging due to travel restrictions and sporadic blocks on mobile Internet and...
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