Tehran: The Iranian government announced on Friday the establishment of a commission of enquiry to look into protests against the high cost of living that turned into anti-government rallies that left thousands dead.

"A fact-finding committee has been formed with representatives from relevant institutions and is collecting documents and hearing statements," Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told the local news agency ISNA.

The spokeswoman did not specify whether the commission would only focus on the economic demands that triggered the protests, or whether it would also investigate deaths during the protests.

"The final report will be published for public information and further legal action after the process is completed," she stated.

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On Thursday, the government website published comments by President Masoud Pezeskhian saying "We have assigned teams to investigate the causes (of the unrest), without providing further details.

The protests, which began in late December before escalating on January 8, left more than 3,000 dead, according to the official count.

Iranian authorities claim that the vast majority of victims were security forces or bystanders killed by "terrorists" working for Israel and the United States.

Human rights advocacy groups based outside Iran, however, accuse the security forces of targeting protesters.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reports that at least 7,005 people were killed during the peak of the protests.

"We are ashamed that such unfortunate events have occurred," Pezeshkian said, according to the report published on the government website.

AFP