Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Khamenei said that he has no doubts about the involvement of the United States and Israel in the organization of the recent protests in Iran. He said this on Monday at a graduation ceremony for military students.
"I state with certainty that these riots and destabilization were planned by America and the Zionist regime [Israel]. They acted with the help of mercenaries, and some Iranians abroad helped them," the Ayatollah was quoted by the Tasnim news agency as saying. He also pointed out that any event other than the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini could have been the occasion for provocations.
Khamenei recalled Washington's decision to expand support for protesters with software.
"There have been riots in the world many times, particularly in Paris. But has the president or the US House of Representatives ever come out in support of the protests? Has it ever happened that the US-affiliated media, or Washington's allies, particularly Saudi Arabia, have supported the protesters? Have the Americans ever said they would provide the protesters with equipment or software so they could better communicate with each other?" stated the Iranian leader. By the equipment, he was referring to the US government's decision to expand its ability to deliver communications services to Iran and the willingness of entrepreneur Elon Musk to launch the Starlink satellite-based Internet network in Iran. During the protests, authorities in the country restricted access to the Internet.
Khamenei believes that in the case of Iran, foreign countries have "many times helped" and supported anti-government forces.
In recent days, there have been riots in various cities of Iran following the funeral of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. According to the official version, this Kurdish girl was detained by the morality police because she was not wearing her headscarf properly. When questioned, she had a heart attack, from which she died. On social media, however, it was reported that Amini was beaten by police officers.
Rioters attacked police and members of the Basij militia, desecrated the Quran, set fire to mosques and government buildings, attacked women wearing the hijab, and set fire to ambulances and gas stations.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Zuma\TASS
Based on materials from TASS