A food seller in Iran has died after setting himself on fire in a protest against city officials that has triggered a response from leaders in Tehran.
President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered an investigation after the death of the young man, Ahmad Baldi, in the city of Ahvaz. Mr Baldi set himself alight in public after officials had shut down his family's shop.
The mayor of Ahvaz has resigned and several officials have been sacked, state media said on Wednesday, as Iran seeks to placate the widespread grief over Mr Baldi's death. The Interior Ministry has been told to take "decisive action against the perpetrators".
Mr Baldi died in hospital on Monday, after doctors treating him for 70 per cent burns were unable to save his life. State media acknowledged his death had prompted "reactions from the public and social activists".
The Nour News agency quoted his father, Mujahid Baldi, as saying his son had pleaded with authorities against the closure, warning he would set himself on fire. "He begged them to wait but no one listened," the father said.
Mr Pezeshkian's office said the President was sending his condolences to the young man's family. The city of Ahvaz had initially defended the actions of its workers, describing the closure as a court-sanctioned eviction and saying officials took “no coercive action”.
There have been no major demonstrations or unrest surrounding the death in Ahvaz, about 550 kilometres south-west of Tehran. But it comes at a sensitive time as Iran battles new UN sanctions over its nuclear programme, putting pressure on its already weak economy.
Protests have swept the city and wider Khuzestan province in the past, and Iranian opposition figures called Mr Baldi's death a warning to the regime.
In 2022, anger over the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of Iran's morality police mushroomed into vast anti-government protests. Iran was widely accused of abuse in quelling the unrest, leading to further sanctions.
