Nine dead as fresh protests hit Iran: State TV

Nine people were killed as fresh unrest hit Iran overnight, state television said today, with protesters trying to storm a police station despite attempts to crack down on the biggest demonstrations in years.

The attack on the police station in the town of Qahderijan, in the central province of Isfahan, led to violence that claimed the lives of six protesters, the state broadcaster reported.

A young member of the Revolutionary Guards and a passer- by were also reported dead in towns near the cultural hub of Isfahan city, while TV had earlier confirmed the death of a policeman in nearby Najafabad, shot dead with a hunting rifle.

That brings the estimated death toll to 21 in five days of unrest that represent the biggest challenge to the Islamic regime since mass demonstrations in 2009.

Protests remain focused on provincial towns and cities, with only small and sporadic protests reported in Tehran on Monday evening where a heavy police presence was reported.

The latest violence came despite President Hassan Rouhani's vow that the nation would deal with "rioters and lawbreakers".

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, described the unrest -- the biggest challenge to the regime since mass protests in 2009 -- as a "proxy war against the Iranian people".

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