In an address aired by state television early Sunday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that “some lost their lives and some places were destroyed,” without elaborating. He suggested protesters had been pushed into violence by counter-revolutionaries and foreign enemies of Iran.

“Setting a bank on fire is not an act done by our people. This is what criminals, thugs and hooligans do,” he added.

Crucially, Khamenei offered his support for the policy that set off the protests.

Under the new fuel measures decided on by President Hassan Rouhani’s government, each motorist is allowed to buy petrol at a minimum $0.13 a litre, or about 50 cents a gallon. That’s an increase of 50 percent from the day before.