France, Jan. 2 -- Protests began on Sunday in the capital Tehran, with demonstrations by shopkeepers over the government's handling of the economic crisis. Iran's national currency has fallen sharply and prices have risen rapidly.

The unrest has since spread nationwide, intensifying into the largest wave of protests the country has seen in three years. Violent clashes have been reported between protesters and security forces in several cities.

Several people have been killed, according to Iranian media and rights groups.

The semi-official Fars news agency reported on Thursday that three protesters were killed and 17 injured during an attack on a police station in the western province of Lorestan.

Earlier, Fars and the Kurdish rights g...