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Iran has warned its neighbours, including Saudi Arabia, that it will retaliate against moves to destabilise it at a time of daily protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.
Street violence flared across Iran after the 22-year-old Amini died on 16 September, following her arrest by the morality police for allegedly flouting the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women.
Iran has accused its enemies, including the United States and Saudi Arabia, of being behind the unrest that it says has led to dozens of deaths, mostly among demonstrators but also among the security forces.
"I would like to say to Saudi Arabia that our destiny and that of other countries in the region are linked to each other because of us being neighbours," its intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, said on Wednesday.
"For Iran, any instability in the countries of the region is contagious, and any instability in Iran can be contagious to the countries of the region," he said, quoted on the website of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has so far adopted strategic patience but it cannot guarantee that it will maintain this strategic patience if hostilities against it continue," the minister added.
"If the Islamic republic decides to punish these countries, their glass palaces will collapse and they will no longer enjoy stability."
Last month, Iran accused the CIA and its counterparts in Britain, Israel and Saudi Arabia of "plotting" against it. Iran's courts will deal firmly with anyone who causes disruption or commits crimes during a wave of anti-government protests, the judiciary said on Tuesday, signalling the authorities intend to hand down harsh sentences to convicted demonstrators.
One of the biggest challenges to Iran's clerical leaders since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the demonstrations have already persisted for eight weeks despite tough security measures and tough warnings from security forces.
More than 1,000 people have been indicted in Tehran Province alone in connection with what the government calls "riots".
"Now, the public, even protesters who are not supportive of riots, demand from the judiciary and security institutions to deal with the few people who have caused disturbances in a firm, deterrent and legal manner," judiciary spokesman Masoud Setayeshi said.
The anti-government demonstrations erupted in September after the death of a Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by morality police for allegedly flouting the Islamic Republic's strict dress code imposed on women.
On Tuesday, students from the University of Science and Culture in Tehran directed their anger at the elite Revolutionary Guards and clerical rulers. "This year the Revolutionary Guards will have casualties, down with the entirety of the regime," they chanted, according to a Twitter account with 330,000 followers focused on the unrest.
The activist HRANA news agency said 321 protesters had been killed in the unrest as of Monday, including 50 minors. Thirty-eight members of the security forces had also been killed, it said.
State media said last month that more than 46 members of the security forces, including police officers, had been killed. Government officials have not provided an estimate of any wider death count.
Accusations
Iranian leaders have accused enemies including the United States of fomenting the unrest. Hardline Iranian lawmakers have urged the judiciary to "deal decisively" with the perpetrators.
"For how long can we tolerate this?" Setayeshi said.
People from all walks of life have taken part in the nationwide protests, with students and women playing a prominent role, waving and burning headscarves.
Two Iranian journalists face charges of collusion against national security and propaganda against the state, Setayeshi said, adding that the two were in prison under a temporary arrest warrant and that their case was about to be finalised.
One of those facing charges is Niloofar Hamedi, who worked for the pro-reform Sharq daily and was the first to signal to the world that all was not well with Amini with a photo of her parents hugging each other in a Tehran hospital.
The second journalist is Elaheh Mohammadi, who covered Amini's funeral in her Kurdish hometown of Saqez, where the protests began. Some 300 Iranian journalists last month demanded their release.
Many athletes and artists have also supported the protests.
Iran’s national beach soccer team players did not cheer or celebrate after defeating Brazil to win the championship cup, said 1500TASVIR, a widely followed activist Twitter account.
It said the players also refused to sing the national anthem of the Islamic Republic at the beginning of their semifinal match against the United Arab Emirates,
The Iranian beach football federation, in a statement on Monday, said the players' actions were “unwise”.
In the Iranian city of Bushehr, the team was greeted by fans on Monday night but there were no patriotic chants or songs.