Iran’s Ruler Blames Unrest On ‘Enemies’
PROTESTS
Iran’s supreme leader has accused the country’s enemies of stirring days of protests that have claimed at least 22 lives. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was speaking for the first time since people protesting at Iran’s economic troubles clashed with security forces last Thursday.
Nine people, including a child, died overnight in violence in central Iran, state media say.
The protests are the largest since the disputed 2009 presidential election.
They began last Thursday in the city of Mashhad, initially against price rises and corruption, but have since spread amid wider anti-government sentiment.
In a post on his official website, Iran’s supreme leader was quoted as saying: “In recent days, enemies of Iran used different tools including cash, weapons, politics and intelligence services to create troubles for the Islamic Republic.” He said he would address the nation about the recent events “when the time was right”. Analysts say the supreme leader’s reference to “enemies” is a swipe at Israel, the US and region- al rivals Saudi Arabia. quoted Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, as warning Saudi Arabia that there would be a response from Iran “and they know how serious it can be”.
Musa Ghazanfarabadi, the head of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, in turn warned that the ringleaders of the protests would face harsh punishment. President Hassan Rouhani’s words have been more measured. He has called the protests an “opportunity, not a threat”, recognised economic discontent and said people had a right to take the streets.
However, he has also vowed to crack down on “lawbreakers”. Reformist and moderate MPs have released a statement urging the authorities to be open to criticism and to be tolerant of the right to protest, which they said was enshrined in the constitution. But they also accused the US of trying to take advantage of the situation.