Conflicting information on situation in Iran in mass media - expert 

ArmInfo.Conflicting information is being circulated in the media regarding the situation in Iran due to the mass protests that have erupted in the country  amid the devaluation of the national currency, writes Semyon Baghdasarov, Director of the Center for Middle East and Central Asian Studies.

"We are receiving conflicting information from Western  sources that the predominantly Kurdish region of Ilam has temporarily  come under the control of protesters, who have gained access to  weapons for the first time. This information has been denied by  official Iranian media," the expert stated on his Telegram page.

According to him, Starlink satellites have been reported to be  appearing over Iran to provide internet access amid the regime's  communications blackouts. "For example, in the city of Sari (the  capital of Mazandaran Province), there were actual street battles  overnight. According to some reports, security forces fired weapons  into the crowd, and after numerous slogans, they deployed tear gas.  According to Western media reports, Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups  have begun recruiting fighters to strengthen the law enforcement  agencies' position in suppressing protests in Iran," Baghdasarov  noted.

In this regard, he noted that the Secretariat of the Supreme Defense  Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran issued a strong official  statement in response to the escalating threats and interference in  the country's internal affairs.

Baghdasarov also reported that Iranian authorities have arrested at  least 1,000 people since the protests began in the country on  December 28. According to Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), at  least 2,059 people have been arrested to date, 36 have been killed,  and protests have already spread to 92 cities.