At the request of the US, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Friday (January 5th) to discuss the protests in Iran, AFP reported.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned ahead of the meeting that the demonstrations could escalate into full-blown conflict, drawing a comparison with Syria.
"The world has witnessed the horrors that have taken place in Syria, that began with a murderous regime denying its people's right to peacefully protest," Haley said in a statement late Thursday. "We must not let that happen in Iran."
A total of 21 people have died and hundreds have been arrested since December 28th as protests over economic woes turned against the regime as a whole, with attacks on government buildings and police stations.
Pro-regime rallies were expected to be held in Tehran after Friday prayers, the third straight day of marches held in support of the government, which has declared the unrest over.
The council will hold an open session from 3 p.m., during which UN Assistant Secretary General Taye Brook Serihoun will brief on the recent violence.
The US administration also has imposed unilateral sanctions on five Iranian companies linked to Tehran's ballistic missile programme.
The council is not expected to issue a statement on the unrest in Iran, which would have to be agreed by all 15 members, diplomats said.
