Iran discloses damages from protests

Protesters in Iran destroyed more than 700 banks and 70 gas stations in an uprising the country still blames on the United States, the country’s interior minister said Tuesday. Demonstrations began Nov. 15 after officials announced a 50 percent increase in gas prices.

What was the human toll of the protests? Amnesty International late on Monday said at least 143 people died in the clashes. Authorities previously said they arrested more than 1,000 protesters, but the New York–based Center for Human Rights in Iran said the number was closer to 4,000. In an interview on state television, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said the protesters also destroyed 50 police stations and 34 ambulances. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said the United States participated in the “conspiracy” to damage Iran, but the “move was destroyed by the people.”

Dig deeper: Read my report in World Tour on how Iran used an internet blackout to control the demonstrations.