Ha! Maybe they should have sold them like the Yaki imo (sweet potato) venders, with a loud speaker. “Benri desu, yo!” (Very convenient).
You are lucky, two or three of them and they would have knifed you. Iranians are not little people, size-wise, and very brave in groups...
I’m a big guy myself and this guy was alone. He wasn’t going to try anything with that kind of crowd around.