Iran cracking down on protests, ramping up ‚morality police‘ – A rising tide of protests inside Iran has triggered a brutal backlash by the clerical authorities. | UPI

Iran cracking down on protests, ramping up ‚morality police‘ – A rising tide of protests inside Iran has triggered a brutal backlash by the clerical authorities. | UPI

BRUSSELS, May 17 (UPI) — A rising tide of protests inside Iran has triggered a brutal backlash by the clerical authorities. Acknowledging the serious „threat“ posed by recent demonstrations and mass protests involving teachers, truck drivers, street vendors and trade unionists, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei told a meeting of senior security officials this week that further repressive measures throughout the country were now a „high priority.“ Seven thousand additional plain-clothes „morality police“ have been deployed only in Tehran to clamp down on women accused of „bad hijab“ and other breaches of morality. Crackdowns on social media and the press have also been ordered.