Iranians rally en masse against 'rioting'

Supporters of Iran's government poured into central Tehran on Monday for a massive rally to condemn days of "rioting" that the Islamic republic blames on its foreign foes. Waving the Iranian flag and banners that read "Death to America", they descended on Enghelab (Revolution) Square from all directions.

In a shock announcement on November 15, Iran raised the price of petrol by up to 200 percent, triggering nationwide protests in a country whose economy has been battered by US sanctions. Officials say the demonstrations turned violent because of the intervention of "thugs" backed by royalists and Iran's arch-enemies - the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The square filled up quickly on Monday with young and old, including clerics carrying portraits of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "Countries like America, Israel or Saudi Arabia... don't want to see us make progress, develop and have security," said a housewife at the rally.

"We support our leader and, for these reasons, they tried to put a spoke in our wheel," she told AFP. The rally was addressed by Major General Hossein Salami, head of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps which helped to put down the unrest.