Iranians Burn Down Mosques

Iranian demonstrators set mosques ablaze during heated protests against the country’s Islamic government, according to local video and reports this weekend.

Protesters in Iran have set numerous fires since the riots broke out Dec. 28, with Tehran’s fire department claiming as many as 34 mosques were burned, according to multiple outlets. One video verified by NBC News showed a crowd cheering Friday night while a Tehran mosque became engulfed in flames.

The mass uprising reportedly began in response to economic woes but follows months of instances of women shedding their mandatory headwear in a statement against the country’s forced Islamic norms. Another video posted by Reuters showed a mob vandalizing the Abuzar Mosque in Tehran on Thursday, scattering furniture and laying incendiary devices.

The Iranian regime has massacred hundreds while clamping down on the disorder, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists in Iran reports, according to The New York Post.

President Donald Trump on Jan. 2 hinted at possible military action if Iran kills protesters, leading to a social media duel with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei over the following days that involved the ayatollah posting an image of Trump in a coffin. Trump previously bombed multiple Iranian nuclear facilities amid conflict with Israel, marking the most overt U.S. military operation against the regime in years.