Iranian President Hassan Rouhani calls for unity as death toll rises in unrest

Trump applauds Iran's anti-government protest
(CNN)Iranian President Hassan Rouhani tried to downplay the significance of sometimes violent protests across his country that have left 12 people dead in the biggest challenge to the authority of the Tehran regime since mass demonstrations in 2009.

"Our great nation has witnessed a number of similar incidents in the past and has comfortably dealt with them. This is nothing," Rouhani said in a meeting with Iranian members of parliament on Monday.
Rouhani has called for calm as his government tries to deal with the widespread spontaneous uprising.
Rouhani called out Donald Trump on Monday after a series of tweets from the US President in support of the protests.
-- Russia weighed in Monday, saying the demonstrations are an "internal affair" for Iran and external interference is unacceptable.
-- US Vice President Mike Pence tweeted support for protesters Monday, saying
We will not let them down."
-- Rouhani has acknowledged that Iranians have the right to protest legally but urged national unity Monday as "the first and most important step at this stage."
How did it all begin?
The protests were sparked by concerns about rising living costs and a stagnant economy, but developed into a broader outcry against the regime.
They are the most serious challenge to Tehran's authority since the so-called Green Movement of 2009, when millions marched in the capital to protest the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The opposition alleged the vote was rigged.
Iran has not seen the economic boost that Rouhani, who won re-election in May, had hoped would come after the nuclear deal relieved the country of sanctions and opened it up to international markets. In the spring of 2017, unemployment was 12.6%, up only slightly from 2016, according to the World Bank.
In a nod to the concerns fueling the protests, Rouhani added: "We have no bigger challenge than unemployment. Our economy requires major corrective surgery."

So far, the latest unrest is on a much smaller scale than 2009. Authorities have yet to launch a wide-ranging crackdown, as they did eight years ago, preferring instead to contain the protests locally.

Demonstrations turn deadly
Iran's state broadcaster said six people were killed in the small western town of Tuyserkan on Sunday, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Also on Sunday, two were shot dead in the southwestern city of Izeh, the area's local member of parliament, Hedayatollah Khademi, told the semi-official ILNA news agency. Khademi said he did not know whether the shots were fired by security officials or protesters, according to the report.
Izeh is in the oil-rich southern province of Khuzestan, just south of the Lorestan province where two other Iranians were killed in protests on Saturday evening.
The deputy governor of Lorestan province, Habibollah Khojastehpour, denied that security forces had fired any bullets, blaming "Takfiri" groups and

foreign intelligence services for the clashes.
Another two people were killed Sunday in the city of Dorud after a fire engine was hijacked, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported, citing the local governor