Crowd confronts cleric after Iran tower collapse kills 33

The collapsed building (Iranian Senior Vice-President Office/AP)

Protesters angry over a building collapse in south-west Iran that killed at least 33 people shouted down an emissary sent by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – sparking a crackdown in which riot police clubbed demonstrators and fired tear gas, according to online videos.

The demonstration directly challenged the Iranian government’s response to the disaster a week ago as pressure rises in the Islamic Republic over rising food prices and other economic woes amid the unravelling of its nuclear deal with world powers.