President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran at a news conference in Tehran, Iran on Sept. 16, 2024. President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed sympathy for protesters’ economic pain, but said the state must respond to “rioters.” Rights groups reported a big spike in the death toll. (Arash Khamooshi/The New York Times) By ERIKA SOLOMON and SANAM MAHOOZI Faced with surging anti-government protests, Iran’s president vowed to address economic grievances but showed no signs of backing off a harsh crackdown,...