Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said his people have the right to protest and criticize the government, in his first public response to nationwide anti-establishment protests that have stretched into a fourth day. On Saturday, as a counter to the protests, state-sponsored rallies took place around the country.
Iran Protests: Dec. 31, 2017
![People protest in Tehran, Iran, Dec. 30, 2017, in this picture obtained from social media.](https://gdb.voanews.com/712EBD37-94F7-4B0D-B7E0-C97A7D3D28DD_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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People protest in Tehran, Iran, Dec. 30, 2017, in this picture obtained from social media.
![Protesters in Tehran's Valiasr avenue overturned a police car.](https://gdb.voanews.com/E582FB2B-1E5B-40AF-8AF1-A404CEF2BC25_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Protesters in Tehran's Valiasr avenue overturned a police car.
![Opponents of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hold a protest outside the Iranian embassy in west London, Dec. 31, 2017.](https://gdb.voanews.com/E60CF3EE-BBB5-4B4B-A006-67EFDFDF9DC6_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Opponents of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hold a protest outside the Iranian embassy in west London, Dec. 31, 2017.
![In this photo taken by an individual not employed by the Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside Iran, university students attend a protest inside Tehran University while a smoke grenade is thrown by anti-riot Iranian police, in Tehran, Dec. 30, 2017.](https://gdb.voanews.com/339F7C0E-1755-418E-8AA3-A8EC1418174A_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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In this photo taken by an individual not employed by the Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside Iran, university students attend a protest inside Tehran University while a smoke grenade is thrown by anti-riot Iranian police, in Tehran, Dec. 30, 2017.