Khamenei says ‘very dangerous’ plot foiled

TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday said his sanctions-hit country had foiled a "very dangerous" plot after violent demonstrations triggered by a fuel price hike.

New York-based Human Rights Watch, meanwhile, accused Tehran of "deliberately covering up" more than 100 deaths and thousands of arrests during the crackdown. The demonstrations first flared on November 15, hours after a midnight shock announcement that petrol prices would immediately go up by as much as 200 percent in the Islamic republic.

A near-total internet blockout was imposed as the protests turned violent, with police stations attacked, petrol pumps torched and shops looted. Connectivity was restored for much of the country after the unrest was quashed within days, and mobile access was returning late on Wednesday.

The outage had apparently been enforced to temper shows of dissent and stem the flow of videos of violence being shared online. But it also made it difficult to know the full extent of the bloodshed.

Officials in Iran have confirmed five people were killed and so far announced about 500 arrests, including of some 180 "ringleaders". London-based Amnesty International said on Monday that 143 people were killed and up to 7,000 arrested, citing what it said were "credible reports".

Iran has blamed the unrest on "thugs" backed by its foreign enemies, including the US, Israel and the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran, an exiled armed opposition group it considers a "terrorist" cult.