Iran claims end to wave of protests

EU will hold talks with Iranian foreign minister, Berlin says

TEHERAN — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has said that the nation and its security forces have ended the wave of unrest linked to antigovernment protests that erupted last month.

In a statement on its website on Sunday, it blamed the unrest on the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia, as well as an exiled opposition group known as the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, and supporters of the monarchy that was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also blamed the three countries for fanning the flames of regional crises through “their interventionist policies and invasive actions”, in an address to Teheran Security Conference, PressTV reported.

Price hikes sparked protests in a number of cities and towns late last month, and at least 21 people were killed in scattered clashes.

The protests, which vented anger at high unemployment and official corruption, were the largest seen in Iran since the 2009 presidential election. Authorities have said in the past few days that the protests were waning.

The Revolutionary Guard is a powerful paramilitary force loyal to the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Some of the protesters have been detained since the protests began. They include around 90 university students, lawmaker Mahmoud Sadeghi was quoted as saying by the semiofficial ISNA news agency.

Later on Sunday, Teheran prosecutor, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, said that 70 of the detained protesters have been released on bail during the last 48 hours.

Iranian lawmakers held a closed session on Sunday in which senior security officials briefed them on the protests

It was emphasized that foreign elements, and in particular the US, played a basic role ...” Jalal Mirzaei, lawmaker

and the conditions of the detainees, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

“It was emphasized that foreign elements, and in particular the United States, played a basic role in forming and manipulating the recent unrest,” IRNA quoted lawmaker Jalal Mirzaei as saying.

US denies allegations

The US and Israel have expressed support for the protests, which began on Dec 28 in Iran’s second largest city, Mashhad, but deny allegations of fomenting them.

In recent days, government supporters have held several mass rallies across the country.

Meanwhile, the European Union will invite Iran’s foreign minister for talks about the recent protests, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday.

“Together with the EU’s foreign policy chief (Federica Mogherini), we agreed to invite the Iranian foreign minister, if possible next week,” Gabriel told German public broadcaster ZDF, without giving further details.

At the same time, Gabriel said Berlin will not follow the lead of US President Donald Trump, who pledged to help Iranians “take back” their government.