Iran warns regionals
DUBAI, Nov 23, (RTRS): Iranian Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri on Saturday warned regional countries of unspecified dire consequences if it is proven that they meddled to stoke unrest in Iran, the semi-official news agency Fars reported.
“Some countries in the region should know that they will not have an easy life in the region if clues are found that show they intervened to create unrest in Iran,” said Jahangiri, quoted by Fars.
Iran has blamed “thugs” linked to exiles and foreign foes — the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia — for stirring up unrest following hikes in gasoline prices which led to the detention of about 1,000 demonstrators and some of the worst violence in a decade.
Iran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia and its arch-foe Israel have backed US moves to reimpose sanctions that have crippled Tehran’s economy, after Washington withdrew from the Islamic Republic’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
Iranian troops and members of the elite Revolutionary Guards helped police quell violent unrest in Kermanshah province this week, Iranian officials said on Saturday, accusing “US agents” of being among the armed protesters.
Rights group Amnesty International said at least 30 people were killed in the western province, making it the worst-hit by days of protests over gasoline prices rises in which more than 100 people were killed nationwide. Iran rejected the death toll figures as “speculative”.
The unrest appears to be the worst violence at least since Iran stamped out a “Green Revolution” in 2009, when dozens of protesters were killed over several months.
“All the forces of the Revolutionary Guards, the (paramilitary) Basij, the Intelligence Ministry, police, and the army took part actively in controlling the situation,” Parviz Tavassolizadeh, the head of the judiciary in Kermanshah, was quoted as saying by the Fars agency.
Tavassolizadeh said the rioters were armed and burned public property, Fars reported.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International updated its estimated death toll in the unrest to 115 from 106.
“We believe that the real figure may be much higher. We are continuing to investigate,” Katy Pownall, Amnesty’s deputy head of news, told Reuters in an email