Opponents of the Nuclear Agreement Protest Outside Parliament, Ended with Police Intervention

Reports indicate that the protest by opponents of Iran's nuclear agreement with six world powers outside the parliament ended with the intervention of law enforcement. These individuals had set up tents in front of the parliament since Tuesday, October 6. According to the state news agency IRNA, Hossein Sajjadi Nia, the commander of Tehran's law enforcement, warned a number of protesters who continued their sit-in on Saturday afternoon, October 11, for the second time to end their gathering. However, with the insistence of a few to continue their 'illegal gathering,' police officers 'intervened and dispersed the protest, collecting the remaining tents and setups.' IRNA also reports that 'there was no physical confrontation between the protesters and the officers.' This group had started their sit-in against the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by setting up tents in front of the parliament under the banner 'Honor, Reject the JCPOA.' The Tehran governor had declared this gathering illegal on Friday. Apparently, the parliament's JCPOA committee is set to present a report on the nuclear agreement in the open session on Sunday, and the opponents are calling for the rejection of this agreement. IRNA reported on Saturday morning that a cleric named Ammar Ammarlou, who was among the first to gather, told his friends after the police chief asked them to end their sit-in that 'from several reliable sources, he learned that the Supreme Leader is opposed to the continuation of this gathering, so it must be ended.' According to IRNA, this cleric explained that he contacted General Vahid, a senior official in Ayatollah Khamenei's office, through Hossein Sajjadi Nia, and he confirmed that 'the leader's opinion is to end this gathering.' He added that to ensure more certainty, they sent an intermediary in person 'to seek guidance from the leader's office,' and also Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor-in-chief of Kayhan newspaper, stated in the gathering that the leader's personal opinion is to end this protest. Shariatmadari had previously been present at this location and supported the sit-in. Following this, the protesters began to dismantle their tents, but a few insisted that 'this is the opinion of the leader's office, not his own' and were unwilling to leave the site. However, on Saturday afternoon, the police intervened, and the sit-in ended.