Protests In Tehran Over Power Cuts, Water Shortages

A number of people demonstrated in the center of the Iranian capital Tehran on Monday against power cuts, the state television website reported, with some demonstrators chanting "political" slogans.

It said a "limited gathering" began before noon when some shop owners at the Aladdin and Charsou malls, two of the city's main mobile and tech markets, marched down Jomhouri Street to "protest problems caused by power cuts."

"At the same time, a group tried to use the dissatisfaction and make it political" by chanting "norm-breaking slogans," the website added.

The term "norm-breaking" is regularly used by Iranian media to refer to slogans critical of the authorities in the Islamic Republic.

Demonstrations were also seen in Tehran over water shortages in the drought-stricken southwestern province of Khuzestan.

Online videos showed people marching down the same major street as the power cut protest, officially known as Jomhuri Islami Avenue or Islamic Republic Avenue in Farsi.

At least three people have reportedly been killed in ongoing protests in Khuzestan against water shortages and a fourth person was reportedly killed on Thursday in the western province of Lorestan during demonstrations against the lack of water in Khuzestan.