Iran's supreme leader praises paramilitary volunteers tackling protesters

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Basij forces 'sacrificed themselves in order to save people'

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised Basij forces for confronting rioters during the anti-government protests in Iran. EPA

Paramilitary volunteers responsible for quashing dissent were praised by Iran’s supreme leader in a televised address on Saturday.

His support came as 140 ophthalmologists warned that demonstrators were being blinded by security forces.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed members of the Basij, the volunteer paramilitary wing of the elite Revolutionary Guard.

He also repeated claims that protesters demonstrating countrywide are “tools” of the US and its “mercenaries.”

“(The) Basij should not forget that the main clash is with global hegemony,” he said.

He said Basij forces “sacrificed themselves in order to save people from a bunch of rioters and mercenaries,” referring to the recent countrywide unrest. “They sacrificed themselves in order to confront oppression”.

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  Iranians protest in Tehran after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the morality police in September. AP Photo

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  Protests have intensified despite a vicious government crackdown that has left as many as 200 people dead, although estimates of the toll by rights groups vary. AP Photo

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  At least eight members of the security forces have also been killed or wounded during the unrest and there are signs that violent resistance could be intensifying. AP Photo

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  A fire burns at the office of the governor of Mahabad, in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran. AFP

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  Protesters gather in the a courtyard of Chitgar complex in western Tehran. AFP

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  Iranian protesters continue to defy a deadly crackdown by security forces. AFP

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  A woman cuts her hair at the grave site of Nika Shahkarami in the city of Khorramabad, during a reported memorial held to mark 40 days since the death of the 16-year-old. AFP

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  A woman not wearing a headscarf stands on top of a vehicle as thousands make their way towards Saqez, Mahsa Amini's home town, to mark 40 days since her death in police custody. AFP

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  Iranian riot police prepare to confront protesters the capital, Tehran. AFP

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  Iranian protesters surge forward amid clashes with riot police in Tehran. AFP

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  A crowd blocks an intersection during a protest to mark 40 days since Amini's death in custody. AP Photo

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  Iranian police arrive to disperse a protest in Tehran. AP Photo

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  Protesters chant at a vigil for Amini at the Khajeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology in Tehran. Reuters

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  Students at Sharif University of Technology attend a protest. AP Photo

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  Police outside Sharif University during a student protest. AP Photo

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  Students at the university protest over the death of Amini, who was in 'morality police' custody for allegedly breaking strict rules on head coverings for women. AP Photo

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  The students' banner says: 'No to mandatory hijab'. AP Photo

The Basij has taken a leading role in clamping down on the demonstrations that began on September 17 after the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, while in the custody of Iran’s morality police.

Her death sparked months of protests over the country’s mandatory headscarf and snowballed into wider issues around women's freedoms.

Protests continued on Saturday in the capital Tehran and other cities, according to social media.

Members of Iranian Basij paramilitary volunteer forces at the meeting with Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran. EPA

On Friday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met a group of Basij members and praised their efforts to maintain security, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Dozens of protesters were killed or wounded after Iranian security forces opened fire after Friday prayers in the country's south-east, activists said.

In a letter, 140 ophthalmologists have raised concerns about the rising number of patients with severe eye injuries resulting from being shot with metal pellets and rubber bullets, according to pro-reform Iranian news site Sobhema and Iran International, as well as other sites on social media.

“Unfortunately in many cases the hit caused the loss of sight in one or both eyes,” the letter, addressed to the head of the country’s ophthalmologists association, said.

The doctors requested that the head of Iran’s Opthalmology Association pass on their concerns about the irreparable damage caused by security forces to the relevant authorities