Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian held a telephone conversation with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, the sides discussed the unrest in the Islamic Republic. This was stated in a message posted on Wednesday in the Telegram channel of the Iranian foreign ministry.
Abdollahian stressed during the conversation that Iran "will not allow any country to encroach on its national security." According to the minister, "the constitution of the Islamic Republic defines peaceful protest as a right of the people," but this right should be viewed separately from the activities of "rioters and terrorists" who "target Iran's security, lives and property of the Iranian people."
Abdollahian criticized the double standard applied by the West in assessing the unrest in Iran. "It is surprising that dealing with unrest in Europe is considered an acceptable practice, while in Iran the same is considered repression," he pointed out.
Unrest broke out in many cities in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini, who was taken to a Tehran police station on September 13 for failing to comply with headscarf regulations. The girl had a heart attack at the station and was taken to a hospital where she died on September 16. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called Amini's family and said he had ordered a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the tragedy.
Protests began on September 17 after the girl's funeral, as reports emerged on social media that she had allegedly been beaten by police officers. Rioters attacked police and members of the Basij militia, desecrated the Quran, set mosques and government buildings, ambulances and gas stations on fire, and attacked women wearing hijabs. In various cities of Iran, participants and organizers of the unrest were arrested and cold and firearms were seized from them.
Last Friday, the Iranian organization for forensic medicine published an official report on the girl's death, stating that she had not been injured.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: mostafa meraji/Pixabay
Based on materials from TASS