Protests erupt in Iran over Rouhani's economic policies

TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Protests erupted across Iranian major cities on Friday over the government's potential move to raise the prices of some basic commodities including fuel and bread, local media reported.

In the capital Tehran, holy cities of Mashhad and Qom as well as Isfahan and Qazvin, people took to the streets to protest the mishandling of economy by President Hassan Rouhani's administration.

Video clips of the popular protests were posted on the social media.

Provincial officials said the the gatherings were illegal, calling the police to deal with them.

In the city of Kermanshah, where a recent major quake claimed the lives of hundreds of people, protestors even clashed with the police.

The videos posted on social media showed police trying to disperse the crowd by using tear gas and water cannons.

The slogans of the demonstrations targeted Rouhani's mismanagement of the economy and overwhelming corruption in some institutions.

The inflation and unemployment rates constitute the major challenges for Rouhani's economic reforms.

According to Iran's Statistical Center, unemployment rate stood at 12.4 percent during the current fiscal year, 1.4 percentage points up from the previous year.

In August, Rouhani won the second term in office by promising to resolve major economic issues, including unemployment which he blamed on decade-long western sanctions.

On Wednesday, Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei called on the government to earnestly tackle economic problems of the country. Enditem