A volunteer security force member was killed in riots in western Iran on Wednesday as protests against economic hardship gripped the country, state media reported.
The 21-year-old member of the Basij – a volunteer force charged with protecting the Islamic Republic – was killed after demonstrators threw stones in Kuhdasht, in western Iran’s Lorestan province, Tasnim news agency reported.
He was identified as Amir-Hosam Khodayari Fard.
About a dozen members of law enforcement and the Basij were injured, the local deputy governor, Saeed Pour Ali, said.
The leader of the Lorestan Province Judiciary has ordered an investigation into the incident, according to Fars news agency.
A government building in southern Iran was attacked on Wednesday, as the country's top prosecutor warned of a “decisive response” to any attempt to create instability after days of protests.
Spontaneous protests, driven by dissatisfaction with Iran's economic stagnation, began on Sunday in Tehran's largest mobile phone market, where shopkeepers shuttered their businesses, and have since drawn in students across the country.
The rallies have since built momentum, with students at 10 universities in the capital and in other cities, including Iran's most prestigious institutions, joining in on Tuesday.
Iran's economy has been struggling for years, with heavy US and international sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme taking a severe toll.
The currency, the rial, has also plunged in recent months, losing more than a third of its value against the US dollar since last year.
Last month, inflation stood at 52 per cent year on year, according to official statistics.
Some basic necessities are becoming unaffordable for a portion of the population, which has been suffering from international sanc
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