According to government critics, the building was set on fire by demonstrators. Reuters was able to verify the location shown in two images using prominent buildings and arches.
However, reports from the semi-official Tasnim news agency said the late leader’s house was not on fire. A small number of people have gathered in front of the building. “The report is a lie,” reported Tasnim. “The doors of the house of the late founder of the great revolution are open to the public.”
Video footage showed dozens of people outside the building cheering as a fire blazed there. It was not possible to independently verify when the films were recorded. The government-critical network 1500Tasvir announced that the incident occurred on Thursday evening in Khomeini’s native city of Khomein. The place is south of the capital Tehran. The house had been turned into a museum. Khomeini died in 1989.
His successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, faces ongoing protests. In Iran, numerous people have been demonstrating against the leadership for weeks. The security forces sometimes use great violence against them and try to suppress the protests.
Other videos posted by Tasvir show protesters in several cities in Sistan-Balochistan province, according to the network. In the capital, Sahedan, people chanted “Tod Khamenei”. In Khabahar, protesters removed and trampled on the street sign of an avenue named after Khomeini. Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of these recordings.
According to Tasnim agency, there were pro-government rallies in Mashhad in the northeast. Two members of the Basij militia were killed in the city on Thursday. According to the Revolutionary Guards website, two secret service agents were killed in clashes with protesters on Thursday evening. Security forces were also killed in Tehran and the province of Kurdistan. It is not known how many men and women were killed or arrested by the security forces.
The protests were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The Kurd died in police custody on September 16. The so-called vice police arrested her because she was said to have been dressed inappropriately. The protests have since grown into the greatest challenge to spiritual leadership since 1979. At that time, the Shah was overthrown in the course of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic was proclaimed – with Khomeini as spiritual and political leader.
Source: Nachrichten
