Iran's anti-hizab protests intensify amid police crackdown on students at Sharif university

According to social media and official media, Iranian security forces have fought with students at a prestigious institution in Tehran, the most recent incident amid a fatal crackdown on nationwide protests that were sparked by the death of a young lady while in jail. The 22-year-old Mahsa Amini's funeral on September 17 in the Kurdish village of Saqez sparked the first anti-government demonstrations in years, with many demanding for an end to the more than forty years of Islamic clerical rule in Iran. A number of videos were shared on Sunday showing Sharif University, typically a hub of protest, being surrounded by dozens of riot police, according to the activist Twitter account 1500tasvir, which has approximately 160,000 followers. In one of the videos, security personnel were seen pelting students with tear gas while distant gunfire could be heard in the background. Security personnel could be seen pursuing scores of students who were stranded in the university's underground parking in another video. According to the report, many pupils had been detained. According to "reports of clashes" in the university, the nation's science minister visited the campus to assess the situation, according to Iranian state media. Sunday saw rallies in a number of cities, including Tehran, Yazd, Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Shiraz, and Mashhad, with people chanting "independence, freedom, death to Khamenei," according to earlier social media posts. Despite an increasing death toll and the security forces' use of tear gas, clubs, and, in some instances, live ammunition, according to videos posted on social media and reports from rights organizations, the protests have not subsided. In a statement, Iran Human Rights, a group with roots in Norway, said that "133 people have been slain so far across Iran," including more than 40 it claimed perished in clashes that took place in Zahedan, the capital of the province of Sistan-Baluchistan in the country's southeast, last week. Although they claim that several security forces members have been slain by "rioters and thugs backed by foreign opponents," Iranian authorities have not provided a death toll. On state television last week, it was reported that 41 people had perished, including security personnel. The supreme authority of Iran The nationwide demonstrations, in which all echelons of society, including ethnic and religious minorities, are participating, have expanded throughout Iran's 31 provinces. The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has not remarked on them.