Iranian hard-line cleric supports protests, with caveat

In response to the protests that have erupted in Iran, hard-line and conservative officials have had to walk a fine line in both addressing and confirming the economic grievances of protesters while denouncing the violence. The latest official to have to manage this balancing act was Friday Tehran prayer leader Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami.

During his Friday sermon, Khatami said the unrest started as a “rightful” protest. He claimed that people had begun by protesting increasing prices and against workers not having received their wages for months. Khatami said that Article 27 of the Iranian Constitution gives people the right to protest without carrying arms or causing damage, adding that their “voices must be heard.”