Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed the United States and Israel for nationwide protests that erupted after custodial death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. This is Khamenei’s first public statement on the issue the protests over which have rocked the Islamic Republic for nearly a month now.
“I say clearly that these riots and the insecurity were engineered by America and the occupying, false Zionist regime, as well as their paid agents, with the help of some traitorous Iranians abroad,” said Khamenei.
Mahsa Amini was taken into custody by Iran’s notorious morality police over ‘improper’ attire. Amini was pronounced dead on September 16
Amini’s death resulted in biggest wave of protests in Iran in three years.
In his comments, Khamenei said that police must “stand up to criminals” and added that “whoever attacks the police leaves the people defenceless against criminals, thugs, thieves”.
“The death of the young woman broke our hearts,” said Khamenei. “But what is not normal is that some people, without proof or an investigation, have made the streets dangerous, burned the Koran, removed hijabs from veiled women and set fire to mosques and cars”.
The Iranian regime has regularly described protesters as ‘rioters’ and has sought to paint the protests as something that detrimental to Iranian society. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s recent address to the nation was no exception.
Concern grew about a crackdown overnight on students at Tehran’s prestigious Sharif University of Technology where, local media reported, riot police carrying steel pellet guns used tear gas and paintball guns against hundreds of students.
“Woman, life, liberty” the students shouted, as well as “students prefer death to humiliation”, Mehr news agency reported.
Iran’s science minister, Mohammad Ali Zolfigol, came to speak to the students in a bid to calm the situation, the report said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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