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The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Friday at Washington's request,
to discuss the wave of protests in Iran, AFP reported.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned ahead of the meeting that the demonstrations could escalate into full-blown conflict, drawing a comparison with Syria, according to the agency report. 

"The world has witnessed the horrors that have taken place in Syria, that began with a murderous regime denying its people's right to peacefully protest," Haley said in a statement as quoted by the source.

To remind, a total of 21 people have died and hundreds have been arrested since December 28 as protests over economic woes turned against the regime as a whole, with attacks on government buildings and police stations. The United States formally requested the meeting on Thursday, but Russia and some of the other council members are not convinced that the top UN body should discuss the unrest in Iran, diplomats said.

Russia has criticized the US push for Iran to be discussed at the Security Council and accused Washington of interfering in Iran's domestic affairs after President Donald Trump backed the anti-government protests.