Iran clamps down on protests over woman’s death

Iranians in 46 different cities and villages across the country have been protesting Iran's government after a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Amini died in police custody. On Sunday, the protests went international, with a large group in London gathering outside the Iranian embassy. London's Metropolitan Police called in reinforcements to stop the group from storming the embassy compound. The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Saturday had complained to a UK ambassador about Farsi-language media outlets, which it said were helping to spread rioting.  The protests—and counter-protests supporting the Iranian government—have raged all week.  Rioting, including deadly violence, has occurred, and Iranian State TV said late Friday that as many as 35 people have died in the unrest.

How did all this start?  Iranian morality police in Tehran arrested Amini for allegedly wearing her Islamic headscarf, known as a hijab, too loosely. The police said she died of a heart attack and was not mistreated, but her family has cast doubt on that account, saying she was healthy with no history of heart problems. Anger over her September 16 death prompted street protests the next day.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Reichard’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about the Iran nuclear deal.