Major new protests erupted in Iran on Thursday as people mourned victims of a deadly crackdown by the authorities, with police opening fire on stone-throwing protesters in deadly clashes outside Tehran, AFP reported.

Iran has for over six weeks been gripped by protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.

With the movement showing no signs of abating, the problems for the authorities are compounded by the tradition in Iran of holding a "chehelom" mourning ceremony 40 days after a death, meaning each new killing can fuel new protest actions.

Norway-based group Iran Human Rights said large numbers attended a 40-day ceremony in Karaj west of Tehran mourning the death of Hadis Najafi, 22-year-old woman activists say was killed by security forces in September.

IHR said police had blocked the highway leading to the cemetery to prevent even larger numbers attending while military helicopters patrolled above.
"This year is the year of blood, Seyyed Ali (Khamenei) will be toppled," the video showed them chanting.

But crowds massed and 1500tasvir monitoring channel posted pictures from Karaj of a large column of people marching in protest down a highway and there were clashes between protesters and police.

Security forces had also opened fire on the protesters, it said. It posted a video of some demonstrators throwing stones at a police vehicle, while others set fire to a garbage bin and a police patrol post.

A member of Iran's Basij paramilitary force and two other unidentified people were killed, and 10 police officers and a cleric were injured Thursday during the clashes in Karaj, state media said.

Similar mourning ceremonies were held in several other cities including Arak, in central Iran, where IHR said large crowds shouted "freedom!" in memory of protest victim Mehrshad Shahidi.

Large numbers also shouted anti-government slogans at a memorial rally for protester Mahsa Mugoi in Fouladshahr outside the city of Isfahan, 1500tasvir said.