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Iran's government is struggling to shut down widespread protests that started after a rise in fuel prices.

(SOUNDBITE OF PROTEST)

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting in foreign language).

GREENE: Now, the news coming from Iran is sketchy¹ because the government has shut down the Internet. But what we do know is that last week, the government hiked gas prices by 50%. Protests broke out and turned violent over the weekend. Several people are reported to have been killed. The country's supreme² leader has condemned³ this unrest, which has reportedly spread to about 100 cities. In a tweet, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed solidarity⁴ with the people of Iran. And here's what U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates John Rakolta said on Sunday.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JOHN RAKOLTA: We're not advocating regime change. We're going to let the Iranian people decide for themselves their future. But their future is to be part of the world community.

GREENE: NPR international correspondent Peter Kenyon has been following these developments from Istanbul. Good morning, Peter.

PETER KENYON, BYLINE⁵: Hi, David.

GREENE: So we're talking about 100 cities, reportedly. I mean, how intense are these protests?

KENYON: Well, the intensity⁶ depends on where you are. Today, the government's saying calm is restored. Whether that lasts remains⁷ to be seen. U.N. officials are calling on Tehran to stop using live fire against demonstrators. They're shocked at the loss of life. These protests started pretty peacefully after Friday prayers last week, but there was violence then over the weekend. Gas stations were a popular target to underline the anger at this hike in the fuel prices. And by the way, that also includes this new rationing⁹ system, which means if you're a driver and you go over the ration⁸ limit, which is about 15 gallons a month, then the price goes up 300%. And by Western standards, we should note, even these higher prices are not that high. But in the context of the Iranian economy, it's going to cause pain, especially for lower income level folks.

GREENE: Well, what is the government doing? I mean, I mentioned they've shut down the Internet. Is — are there signs they're going to do more to crack down on this?

KENYON: Well, crackdown is the right word. The police and security forces were sent out on the streets. There have been clashes with demonstrators. And there's a warning that it could get much worse. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps¹⁰ has warned that any further rioting would be, quote, "dealt with decisively." On Sunday, Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei came out, and he said, yes, I support the fuel price increase. He also called the protesters thugs, which was seen by some as an authorization¹¹ for a crackdown. And it may have put a bit of a chill on the numbers of people turning out after that. His endorsement¹² may be also be in part of what spurred the U.N. and others to call for calm and an end to the use of lethal¹³ force.

GREENE: Peter, if there is economic pain and it's new or growing in some way, is it tied at all to these economic sanctions put on Iran by the United States?

KENYON: Some Iranians think so. The foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, is blaming the U.S. He was responding to a comment by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who had tweeted that the U.S. was with the people of Iran. Zarif said any American regime that imposes coercive economic sanctions, bars delivery of food and drugs to the elderly and medical patients can never claim it's supporting the Iranian nation. And so it's — yes, the U.S. sanctions are definitely being blamed.

GREENE: How hard is life there in general economically?

KENYON: It's not good. The unemployment is up. The Iranian rial is down. People's savings¹⁴ are being eaten up. A frequent target of anger is Europe, who had pledged to keep the 2015 nuclear deal going and keep trade going. But so far, they've had very limited success in doing that.

GREENE: NPR's Peter Kenyon reporting on the situation in Iran from his post in Istanbul. Peter, thank you so much.

KENYON: Thanks, David.

伊朗政府正在努力镇压因油价上涨而引发的大规模抗议。

（抗议声）

身份不明的抗议者：（用外语高喊）。

格林：伊朗传出的消息并不明朗，因为伊朗政府已经关闭了互联网。不过我们知道，上周伊朗政府将汽油价格上调了50%。随后抗议爆发，并在周末演变为暴力事件。据报道，目前已有多人死亡。伊朗最高领袖谴责了这场骚乱，有报道称骚乱已蔓延至约100座城市。美国国务卿迈克·蓬佩奥在推特上表态支持伊朗民众。下面是美国驻阿联酋大使约翰·拉克尔塔在周日所说。

（录音档案）

约翰·拉克尔塔：我们不是在提倡政权更迭。我们将让伊朗民众自己决定未来。但是他们的未来是国际社会的一部分。

格林：NPR新闻的国际记者彼得·肯杨一直在伊斯坦布尔追踪事态进展。早上好，彼得。

彼得·肯杨连线：你好，大卫。

格林：据报道，约100座城市在进行抗议。那抗议强度有多激烈？

肯杨：这要看你在哪里。今天，伊朗政府宣布国家已经回归平静。但这种状态是否能持续还有待观察。联合国官员呼吁伊朗政府停止用实弹对抗示威者。他们对人员伤亡情况感到震惊。抗议活动在上周五的祈祷活动结束之后爆发，一开始是和平抗议，但在周末演变为暴力抗议。由于油价上涨，加油站成为表现愤怒的目标。另外，这还涉及到新实行的配给制度，如果你是名司机，所用汽油超过1个月15加仑左右的配给限额后，油价会上涨300%。我们应该指出，从西方标准来看，即使上调后的油价也不是太高。但从伊朗的经济情况来看，这会对民众造成伤害，尤其是收入较低群体。

格林：政府采取了什么措施？我刚才提到他们关闭了互联网。有迹象表明他们将采取更多镇压措施吗？

肯杨：镇压的确是合适的说法。警察和安全部队被派到街头。他们与示威者发生了冲突。有警告称情况可能会继续恶化。伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队警告称，任何进一步的骚乱都会“被果断处理”。周日，伊朗最高领袖阿亚图拉·哈梅内伊公开表态称，对，我支持油价上涨。他还称抗议者是暴徒，一些人认为这等于授权开展镇压行动。这可能会令之后参加抗议的人数有所减少。他的支持可能还促使联合国和其他组织要求各方冷静，并停止使用致命武器。

格林：彼得，如果出现经济上的痛苦，而且是新出现或不断增加的情况，那这是否与美国对伊朗施加的经济制裁有关？

肯杨：一些伊朗人认为有关系。伊朗外交部长穆罕默德·贾威德·扎里夫对美国进行了指责。他对美国国务卿迈克·蓬佩奥在推特上称美国支持伊朗民众的言论进行了回应。扎里夫说，施加强制经济制裁、禁止向老人和患者提供食品和药品的美国政权，绝不能宣称在支持伊朗。因此，这肯定要归咎于美国。

格林：那从经济方面来说，现在伊朗的生活有多艰难？

肯杨：情况并不乐观。失业率上升。伊朗货币里尔下跌。人们的存款被吞噬。欧洲经常成为伊朗的愤怒目标，因为欧洲曾承诺维持2015年达成的伊朗核协议，并确保伊朗的贸易正常进行。但截至目前，他们在这方面取得的成果非常有限。

格林：以上是NPR新闻的彼得·肯杨从伊斯坦布尔就伊朗局势进行的报道。彼得，非常谢谢你。

肯杨：谢谢，大卫。