Iran’s president tries to assuage anger as protests continue

By The Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian president has appealed for national unity and tried to allay anger against the country’s rulers, even as the anti-government protests engulfing the country continued to spread to universities and high schools. President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday acknowledged that the Islamic Republic had “weaknesses and shortcomings,” but repeated the official line that the unrest sparked last month by the death of a 22-year-old woman in the custody of the country’s morality police was nothing short of a plot by Iran’s enemies. The protests have evolved into the most widespread challenge to Iran’s leadership in years.