Reuters:

The Iranian army said on Saturday it would safeguard strategic infrastructure and public property and urged Iranians to thwart "the enemy's plots", as the clerical establishment steps up efforts to quell the country's biggest protests in years.

The Iranian military statement came after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a new warning to Iran's leaders on Friday, and after Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday declared: "The United States supports the brave people of Iran."

Unrest continued overnight. State media said a municipal building was set on fire in Karaj, west of Tehran, and blamed "rioters". State TV broadcast footage of funerals of members of the security forces it said were killed in protests in the cities of Shiraz, Qom and Hamedan.
ARMY SAYS 'TERRORIST GROUPS' SEEK TO UNDERMINE SECURITY

Authorities continued to impose an internet blackout.

A witness in western Iran reached by phone said the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) were deployed and opening fire in the area from which they were speaking, declining to be identified for their safety.

The Iranian military operates separately to the IRGC - an elite force tasked with defending Iran's Islamic Revolution and which authorities have deployed to quell previous unrest. Both forces are commanded by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In a statement published by semi-official news sites, the military accused Israel and "hostile terrorist groups" of seeking to "undermine the country's public security".

"The Army, under the command of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, together with other armed forces, in addition to monitoring enemy movements in the region, will resolutely protect and safeguard national interests, the country’s strategic infrastructure, and public property," it said.

The protests have spread across much of Iran over the last two weeks, beginning in response to soaring inflation, but quickly turned political with protesters calling for clerical rulers to step down. Authorities have accused the U.S. and Israel of fomenting the "riots".

Iranian rights group HRANA said it had documented 65 deaths including 50 protesters and 15 security personnel as of January 9. The Norway-based human rights group Hengaw said more than 2,500 people had been arrested over the past two weeks.

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