Iranian anti-hijab protests rage on streets as officials renew threats

Iran's protests continued into Thursday, with protesters remembering a bloody crackdown in the southeast of the country, even as the army chief and minister of intelligence of the country reissued threats against local dissent and the international community.

The death of a 22-year-old woman on September 16 following her incarceration by the nation's morality police ignited protests in Iran, which have subsequently grown to be one of the most significant continuous threats to theocracy since the disorderly months following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

According to Human Rights Activists in Iran, an organisation that has been keeping track of the protests for their 54 days, at least 328 people have died and 14,825 more have been detained in the turmoil. While official media falsely reports that security forces have not killed anyone, Iran's leadership has been mum for weeks over casualty totals.

As protesters take to the streets to observe the 40th day of remembrance for those who were killed earlier — commemorations that are customary in Iran and the wider Middle East — the demonstrations risk devolving into cyclical clashes between an increasingly disenchanted populace and security forces that resort to greater violence to put them down.

Despite government efforts to censor the internet, Iranian online footage appeared to show protests taking place around the nation, including in Tehran, the capital, and other cities. On video, tear gas clouds could be seen close to Isfahan. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, was the focus of cries of "Death to the Dictator," which were widespread during the demonstrations.