Iran's Khamenei says protesters' economic demands 'fair'

Tehran: Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday acknowledged the economic demands of Iranian protesters, while warning against what he described as rioting.

"The president and high-ranking officials are working to resolve" the economic difficulties in the sanctions-battered country, Khamenei said in a speech marking a holiday.

"The shopkeepers have protested against this situation and that is completely fair," he added, while warning that "rioters... must be put in their place".