One dead after protesters set fire to police station in southern Iran

One person was killed and six others injured in violence in a city in southern Iran that has seen several protests in recent months, the Fars news agency reported on Thursday.

It said a group of people gathered in Kazerun on Wednesday evening to chant "subversive slogans" and set fire to a local police station. 

Videos of the incident were shared on social media overnight. 

Residents of Kazerun have held sporadic demonstrations for weeks against a government decision to establish an administrative division in the region.  

One video posted on Twitter purported to show protesters chanting "They support Gaza, but betray Kazerun". 

Wednesday's scuffle was the first reported unrest in the town in two weeks after a decision to shelve the reform initiative, the semi-official Fars agency said.

According to Iran Human Rights Monitor, which is associated with the exiled opposition group the National Council of Resistance of Iran, state security forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing two protesters, and arrested more than 100.

Citing local reports, IHRM said 40 armoured police vehicles were sent to the city to quell protests and residents in a nearby town blocked roads in an attempt to stop the police forces from reaching Kazerun.

Middle East Eye could not independently verify NCRI’s account.

At least 25 people were killed in a wave of social unrest that swept towns and cities across Iran between 28 December and 1 January.

The largest demonstrations since the 2009 Green Movement, the protests were fuelled by harsh economic conditions in the country.