Turkey bars Iranians from protesting outside Istanbul consulate

Iran has been roiled by street protests since December 28 that have taken hold nationwide, challenging the theocratic government that has ruled the country since the 1979 revolution.

Turkey, a majority Sunni Muslim country, shares a border of around 500 kilometres (300 miles) and three land crossings with its Shiite neighbour Iran. It hosts more than 74,000 Iranians with residence permits and around 5,000 refugees.

Demonstrators gathered under steady rain in Istanbul, where Nina, a young Iranian exile, said she wanted to show solidarity as the protests shaking the Islamic republic rumble into their third week.

"It's been 72 hours since we had any news from the country, from our families. No internet or television, we can't reach Iran anymore," she said, the Iranian flag and red tears painted across her face.

"The regime kills at random -- whether families are on foot or in a car, whether there are children. It spares no one," she added.

Initially ignited by anger over the rising cost of living, the protests in Iran have spiralled into a broader movement.

Amir Hossein, a singer from Tehran exiled in Turkey for 20 years, said he hoped "the entire Iranian nation can hear me".

"In every country, permits are granted to demonstrate for freedom, for democracy, but in Turkey, unfortunately, never," Hossein said.

He called on the international community to intervene on the situation in Iran, adding: "Our regime is not normal; it kills."

At least 192 protesters have been killed in Iran's biggest movement against the Islamic republic in more than three years, according to the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights.

"But this time, victory is ours and we are going to win," Hossein said.

"We have a leader," he stressed, referring to Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the ousted shah, who has played a prominent role in calling for the protests.

Nearby, a young woman unfurled the former Iranian flag, flown before the Islamic revolution, and emblazoned with a lion and sun.

But not all protesters were calling for Pahlavi's return.

"We want democracy, a republic, not a monarchy," said Mehdi, an exiled engineer, stressing the shah's son was "incapable of uniting people".