Iran accused of using unlawful force in water protest crackdown

Amnesty says security forces used live ammunition on protesters while officials blame opportunists'

Iran is using unlawful and excessive force in a crackdown against protests over water shortages in its oil-rich but arid southwestern Khuzestan province, according to international rights groups.

Amnesty International said it had confirmed the deaths of at least eight protesters and bystanders, including a teenage boy, after the authorities used live ammunition to quell the protests.