Tasnim– An Iranian provincial official said the situation in the southwestern town of Izeh is “normal” and under full control after the recent protests against the rising cost of food and other essentials.

“The tumult in Izeh only lasted for one hour and the situation returned to normal then,” Mostafa Somali, the governor of Izeh in Khuzestan province, said on Monday.

This came after reports by certain anti-revolutionary Telegram channels and websites attempted to offer the illusion that the situation was still critical in the town after Sunday protests in a bid to strike fear into the hearts of people across the country.

The situation returned to normal after officers of the Iranian Law Enforcement Force took timely action and brought everything under full control.

Media reports said two people had been killed during the rallies with some saying that the shooter was arrested soon after the incident.

Some cities in Iran have been scenes of demonstrations in the past days after prices of several staples rose by up to 40 percent.

During the rallies, people called on the government to help control rising food prices and inflation, but some opportunists attempted to turn the situation ugly and materialize their vested interest at the cost of social security.

On Sunday, the US president one more time sided with the opportunists, tweeting, “Big protests in Iran. The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer. The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations!”

In response, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lashed out at his US counterpart for commenting on the protests, saying the man who already called the Iranian people terrorists, as well as certain Arab regimes working against Iran, have no right to sympathize with the nation.

Rouhani began his second term in office in August, with the country’s economic issues high on his agenda.

Rouhani’s administration has managed to reduce the inflation rate, but it still faces many economic challenges.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has said economic issues were the country’s top priority, urging Iranian officials to make relentless efforts to solve problems facing the people, including unemployment among the youth.

“Economy must be the top priority of all members and sectors of the government,” the Leader said in a meeting with President Rouhani and the members of his administration in August.

In a speech on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei once again called on officials to pursue the Resistance Economy with determination in order to address “high prices, inflation and recession.”