Mass arrests at Tehran rally, as anti-government protests continue

"These individuals are now with the judiciary and some others have been freed out of clemency," Ali Asghar Nasserbakht, a security deputy for Tehran's governor told the news agency.

Nasserbakht said that police arrested those who were planning on rioting and destroying public property.

"Some opposition groups from abroad make our youth emotional," he added.

Several hundred people protested around the University of Tehran on Saturday, and there were reports of vandalism during the night, including an attack on a town hall.

The protests in Tehran appear to be smaller than many of those seen in towns and cities around the country since Thursday, where there have been few reports about the number of arrests.

Around 200 protesters marched through downtown Tehran on Sunday, according to the conservative-linked Fars news agency, as authorities braced for a possible fourth night of unrest.

Several hundred more were shown gathering in the western city of Kermanshah, according to footage shared online by a group linked to the Revolutionary Guards.

The government has warned protesters will "pay the price" for further unrest, and blocked access to social media sites earlier on Sunday, accusing them of fomenting disorder.

The spate of demonstrations began in second city Mashhad on Thursday over high living costs, but quickly spread throughout the country and turned against the Islamic system as a whole, with slogans such as "death to the dictator".