Pro-regime rallies were held around Tehran on Friday with authorities seeking to put the recent violent unrest to bed, as Washington slapped fresh sanctions on Iran and called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting.
For a third straight day, there were large pro-government rallies, this time in 40 locations around Tehran province and several cities including Tabriz and Kerman after Friday prayers, as authorities declared the unrest over.
The U.S. imposed sanctions against five Iranian firms alleged to have been working on an illegal ballistic missile programme, linking the move to the protests.
It remains difficult to gauge who was involved in the unrest that began December 28, claiming 21 lives and leading to hundreds of arrests.
