A local MP said the pair were shot dead overnight in the town of Izeh, raising the toll from the protests to six.

Demonstrations were also reported in a number of other cities on Sunday night, including the capital Tehran.

In his first intervention, President Rouhani warned on Sunday that violence would not be tolerated at the protests.

The demonstrations, which erupted on Thursday in Iran’s second city of Mashhad, are the biggest show of dissent seen since the huge rallies of the Green Movement were brutally suppressed in 2009.

Mr Rouhani acknowledged grievances over Iran’s economic situation, a lack of transparency and corruption but defended his record.

The Iranian president said that citizens were “completely free to express their criticism of the government or stage protests… in a way that would lead to the improvement of the country’s conditions” but warned against violent acts.

Nevertheless, protests continued. Police used tear gas and water cannon to quell a rally in Tehran’s Engheleb Square, reported AFP news agency, and demonstrations were reported in Kermanshah and Khorramabad in the west, Shahinshahr in the north west and the northern city of Zanjan.

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Source: BBC

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