Nation’s ‘enemies’ blamed for unrest
BREAKING his silence over nationwide protests, including calls for his removal, Iran’s supreme leader has blamed the demonstrations on “enemies of Iran,” saying they are meddling in its internal affairs.
The remarks by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the protests — the biggest seen in Iran since its disputed 2009 presidential election — came after a bloody night when protesters tried to storm a police station and the first fatalities were suffered by security forces.
The unrest has killed at least 21 people in the past six days. The protests started on December 28 in Mashhad over the weak economy and a jump in food prices.
They have since expanded to cities and towns in almost every province. Hundreds have been arrested, and a prominent judge warned some faced the death penalty.
Speaking to black chadorclad women, who were relatives of veterans and war dead, Ayatollah Khamenei, 78, warned of an enemy “waiting for an opportunity, for a crack through which it can infiltrate”.
“All those who are at odds with the Islamic Republic have utilised various means, including money, weapons, politics and [the] intelligence apparatus, to create problems for the Islamic system, the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Revolution,” he said.
He avoided identifying any foreign countries, although he promised to elaborate in the coming days, but high on his list would undoubtedly be the US, where President Donald Trump has been tweeting support for the protests for days.
Mr Trump wrote “the people of Iran are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime”.
“The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights,” he said. “The US is watching!”
Iran’s state TV reported on his tweets in its news broadcasts, and some have been shared online, but many in Iran distrust Mr Trump because he has refused to recertify the 2015 nuclear deal, and his travel bans have blocked Iranians from receiving US visas.
Meanwhile, the US Government has called for the UN Security Council and UN Human Rights Council to hold emergency meetings on Iran, with the US ambassador to the UN saying the world body “must speak” on the issue.
“Nowhere is the urgency of peace, security and freedom being tested more than in Iran,” US Ambassador Nikki Haley said, adding US officials “applaud the tremendous courage of the Iranian people”.
Ms Haley said the US would call for emergency sessions in the coming days.