Khamenei says enemy 'repelled' in protest-hit Iran

TEHRAN: Iran´s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the enemy had been "repelled" in the country where dozens are thought to have died in violent protests sparked by a petrol price hike.

Demonstrations broke out in the sanctions-hit Islamic republic on Friday after it was announced the price of petrol would be immediately raised by as much as 200 percent.

They began with motorists blocking major roads in the capital Tehran and elsewhere but have spread rapidly to at least 40 cities and towns, with petrol pumps torched, police stations attacked and shops looted.

Officials have confirmed five deaths, including three security personnel stabbed by "rioters", but London-based rights group Amnesty International said Tuesday that more than 100 demonstrators were believed to have been killed.

"We have pushed back the enemy in the military arena. We have pushed back the enemy in the political war," Khamenei said in a speech aired on state television late Tuesday.

"We have repelled the enemy in the arena of security warfare... in recent days," he said, adding that the unrest had not been the result of a popular movement.

"The recent actions were security issues, not from the people," he said. "We have repelled the enemy."

State television has aired footage of masked young men appearing to clash with security forces.