TEHRAN, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- A member of the Basij voluntary force under Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps was killed in the latest riots in the western province of Kermanshah, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
Ali Azizi, the Basij member, died after being stabbed and shot during a gathering of "armed rioters" in Harsin County on Friday, the report said.
Since Sunday, several cities in Iran have seen daily protests over economic problems, primarily the sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial.
On Thursday evening, three people were killed and 17 others injured in clashes between armed rioters and police in Iran's western Lorestan province, Fars reported.
The rioters sought to disarm the police forces and enter the station's armory, while throwing stones at police officers and setting police cars on fire.
Earlier, media reports said three people were killed during riots in the provinces of Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari on Wednesday and Thursday.
Iranian authorities said several people have been arrested over the past few days on the charge of disrupting public order and security during the protests.
The rial has weakened sharply since the United States withdrew from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions. ■
