Iran university students’ stage anti-government protests

New Delhi, Feb 22: Students at several universities in Iran have staged anti-government protests, marking the first demonstrations of this scale since last month’s deadly crackdown by authorities, the BBC reported.

Verified footage showed students marching on the campus of Sharif University of Technology in Tehran on Saturday. The report said scuffles later broke out between protesters and government supporters. A sit-in was also held at another university in the capital, while a rally was reported in north-eastern Iran.

According to the BBC, the students were commemorating thousands of people killed during mass protests in January. The unrest comes amid heightened international tensions. The United States has been increasing its military presence near Iran, and US President Donald Trump has said he is considering a limited military strike.

Western countries suspect Iran is moving closer to developing a nuclear weapon, an allegation Tehran has consistently denied. US and Iranian officials met in Switzerland earlier this week and said progress had been made in talks aimed at limiting Iran’s nuclear programme. However, President Trump said the world would know within the next 10 days whether a deal would be reached or if the US would consider military action, the BBC added.