Fierce clashes erupted on Monday in sensitive areas north of Tehran between security forces and members of the Sufi Gonabadi Dervishes group.
Reports said that five members of the Iranian security forces were killed in the unrest.
The official IRNA news agency on Tuesday quoted police spokesman General Saeed Montazeralmahdi as saying two members of the Basij forces also were killed in a stabbing and another car-ramming attack, which also injured 30. Police arrested over 300 Sufi followers, including the drivers of both vehicles, he said.
Montazeralmahdi said that security forces would be very strict in dealing with any “illegal” act that threatens the country’s security.
A video on social media showed a white bus ploughing through a group of around 40 riot police officers in a narrow street. The bus also strikes several parked cars as it tries to escape the scene, reported Reuters.
Activists said that a number of protestors were also injured during Monday’s unrest.
Earlier on Monday, Sufis had rallied in front of a police station demanding the release of a detainee.
The website “Majzooban,” linked to the Gonabadi Sufis, reported on Monday that some protesters were shot by the police, adding that some of the wounded were arrested in hospitals.
Police have blocked off streets to the site of the clash and deployed a number of officers to the area.
Reuters reported that video footage posted on social media showed clashes between security forces and members of the Gonabadi Dervishes.
It said those members had gathered in front of a police station, demanding the release of some members of their sect.
According to the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), a non-profit group based in New York, several Sufis have been arrested in the last two months.
It said 10 members of the order were injured and three others arrested in the city of Kowar, in Fars province, on January 14 after police attacked a rally demanding the release of other Sufi detainees.
