Protests to end in a few days, Rouhani tells Erdogan

ANKARA, Jan 3 (AFP): Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday expressed hope in a telephone call with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the protests which have rocked his country would end in a few days, a Turkish presidential source said.

Erdogan told Rouhani that "peace and stability" in Iranian society had to be preserved and said he concurred with his Iranian counterpart's statement that the right to protest should not lead to "violations of the law".

"President Rouhani thanked President Erdogan for his sensitivity and expressed hope that the protests would end in a few days," said a statement by a Turkish presidential source.

The comments were not immediately confirmed by the Iranian side.

Turkey-which was hit by street protests against Erdogan (then premier) in 2013 -- had already said it was concerned by the protests and warned against any escalation.

The almost week-long unrest in Iran, the biggest challenge to the Islamic regime since the 2009 mass demonstrations, has so far claimed 21 lives.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands gathered across Iran Wednesday in a massive show of strength for the country's Islamic rulers after days of deadly unrest, with state television showing vast crowds marching through several cities.

Chants of "Leader, we are ready" were heard as images showed thousands rallying in the cities of Qom, Ahvaz, Kermanshah and elsewhere.

The demonstrators waved Iranian flags and pictures of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as placards saying "Death to seditionists".

"We offer the blood in our veins to our leader," was another popular chant.

There were few reports of anti-regime protests overnight, although it remained difficult to verify information from the provinces.

The political establishment has closed ranks against the unrest that has claimed 21 lives since it erupted last week.

They say the protests, which began over economic issues on December 28 but quickly turned more radical, were part of a foreign plot to destabilise the regime.

"The enemy is always looking for an opportunity and any crevice to infiltrate and strike the Iranian nation," Khamenei said.

Washington continued to exert pressure on the Islamic republic, with its UN ambassador Nikki Haley calling for emergency Security Council talks to discuss the situation.

"The people of Iran are crying out for freedom," she said at a news conference. "All freedom-loving people must stand with their cause."

Even reformists, who backed the last major protest movement against alleged election-rigging in 2009, condemned the violence and the support the demonstrations have received from the United States.