In Photos: Protests in Iran Over the Country’s Weak Economy

Move by the Iran government to shut down social media has limited the ability of journalists to cover the unrest.

Iran has seen its largest anti-government protests since the disputed presidential election in 2009, with thousands taking to the streets in several cities in recent days. Travel restrictions and moves by the government to shut down social media networks have limited the ability of journalists to cover the ongoing unrest, which Iranian state television said has killed 21 people.

Here is what it looks like in the Iranian capital:

Protests across Iran saw their most violent night as "armed protesters" tried to overrun military bases and police stations before security forces repelled them, killing several people, Iranian state television said on Monday.

The demonstrations, the largest to strike Iran since its disputed 2009 presidential election, have seen five days of unrest across the country and a death toll of at least 13 with the slaying of a police officer announced late on Monday.

The protests began on Thursday in Mashhad over Iran's weak economy, and a jump in food prices and have expanded to several cities, with some protesters chanting against the government and the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Hundreds of people have been arrested.

On Sunday, Iran blocked access to Instagram and the popular messaging app Telegram used by activists to organise and publicise protests.

While the protests have sparked clashes, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and its affiliates have not intervened as they have in other unauthorised demonstrations since the 2009 election.

The protests also spread outside Iran. Iranians in different parts of the world expressed dissatisfaction over Iran's weak economy. In Tehran on Monday, however, the streets were calm, though a heavy police presence was noticeable.

(With inputs from PTI, AP and Reuters)

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