DUBAI: A pro-government rally in Tehran on Monday will show the world who"real" Iranians are, Iran's Foreign Ministry said, expressing surprise at foreign statements of support for a wave of protests against the authorities over a fuel price rise.
"I recommend they look at the marches today, to see who the real people in Iran are and what they are saying," foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in remarks carried by state television. Rights group Amnesty International said last week that security forces shot into crowds of protesters from rooftops and, in one case, from a helicopter.
In response to the unrest, authorities shut the Internet for a week, making it difficult for protesters to post videos on social media to report events and generate support.