Iran 17 dead since the demonstrations began and the protests spread in several cities

Seventeen people, including security forces, have been killed in Iran since the protests began over the death of the young woman, Mahsa Amini, while protesters in Tehran and several Iranian cities set fire to two police stations and vehicles.

Seventeen people have been killed in Iran since protests erupted over the death of the young woman, Mahsa Amini, six days ago, after she was arrested by the morality police in Tehran for “immodestly dressed,” state television said Thursday.

And the channel announced that "17 people, including demonstrators and policemen, died in the events of recent days."

Protesters in Tehran and several Iranian cities set fire to two police stations and vehicles on Thursday, and the unrest that erupted for the sixth day after the death of a young woman while she was being held by the morality police continues for the sixth day.

Mahsa Amini, 22, died last week after she was arrested by Tehran's morality police for wearing "inappropriate clothes". She fell into a coma during her detention. The authorities said they would open an investigation to determine the cause of death.

Amini's death unleashed widespread anger among the population and led to the worst protests in Iran since 2019.

It was mostly concentrated in the Kurdish-populated northwestern regions of Iran, but it also spread to the capital and at least 50 cities and towns across the country.

The police used force to disperse the demonstrators.

And another police station caught fire in the capital, Tehran, to which the unrest spread from the northern Iraqi province of Amini's hometown.

Iran's rulers fear a resurgence of unrest in the country in 2019 to protest the rise in gasoline prices, which were the bloodiest in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Reuters reported that 1,500 people were killed in those protests.

The protesters also expressed their anger at Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. "Mojtaba, we hope you die before you become a supreme leader," a crowd was seen chanting in Tehran, referring to Khamenei's son, who some believe may succeed his father at the head of Iran's political establishment.

Reuters was unable to verify the video.

According to reports by the Kurdish human rights organization Henjaw, which could not be verified by Reuters, three protesters were killed by security forces on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to ten.

Officials deny that security forces killed the protesters, and say they may have been shot by opposition gunmen.

In the absence of signs that the protests are abating, authorities have restricted internet access, according to Hengao, residents and the NetBlocks observatory that monitors internet outages.

Amini's death sparked outrage across Iran over issues including freedoms and the economic situation reeling under the weight of sanctions.