Iran gas price protests quickly turn violent: AP explains

The scale of the unrest that began on Friday remains unclear as authorities have shut down the internet across this nation of 80 million people.

And though some protest chants directly challenge Iran's Shiite theocracy, its government has the manpower -- and experience -- to quickly put down demonstrations.For Iranians, cheap gasoline is practically considered a birthright. Iran holds the world's fourth-largest crude oil reserves. As jobs remain scarce, many Iranians work as informal taxi drivers. But subsidizing prices both benefited Iran's wealthy and spurred gasoline smuggling to neighbouring countries.

Even with those hikes, Iran remains one of the cheapest places in the world to buy gasoline. A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline costs on average $2.59 in the U.S., according to AAA.Since the price hike, demonstrators have abandoned cars along major highways and joined mass protests in the capital, Tehran, and elsewhere. Some protests turned violent, with demonstrators setting fires as gunfire rang out.

The group NetBlocks, which monitors worldwide internet access, said connectivity had fallen to just 7% of ordinary levels. It called Iran's shutdown the most severe "in terms of its technical complexity and breadth." The internet firm Oracle called it "the largest internet shutdown ever observed in Iran." Some local websites, like those of state media outlets, remains accessible, but Iran's window to the outside world largely has closed.

40 years of suppression of ppl by islamic regime just needs a catalyst to burn the country. Mullahs should go and get prosecuted for their crimes. Canada should be with people of Iran not the government officials like Khavari who bring the stolen money in Canada. iranprotest

Canadians should follow their lead.

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