Two people are understood to have been killed after Iranian security forces reportedly opened fire on anti-government demonstrators on Saturday as the largest protests seen in the country since 2009 continued for a third day.

Reports of the two deaths were were posted on social media. There was no official confirmation of the fatalities but the posted images appeared to show several bodies being carried away after clashes with police in the western city in Dorud

Angry protests escalated in cities across Iran as demonstrators tore down posters of Ayatollah Khamenei, the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, while police on motorbikes charged into crowds swinging batons.

Protesters reportedly stormed the governor’s compound in the western city of Arak and started fires at government offices in Ahvaz, a city in the country’s southwest.