The Supreme Leader of Iran, the Ayatollah Ali KhameneiOn Monday he broke his silence on the protests that have engulfed the country, accusing Israel and the United States of fomenting them and expressing support for the security services that have cracked down on the riots.
Khamenei, speaking at a graduation ceremony in a police training school and quoted by the Iranian media, said it was a duty of the security forces. “ensure safety of the Iranian nation ”, referring to the protests which are now in their third week.
The riots erupted last month after a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, died in the custody of the morality police in Tehran after being accused of violating the country’s law requiring adult women to wear the veil.
Khamenei said it was “dejected“for the death of Amini, but condemned the demonstrators, accusing them of arson and other attacks across the country.
“These riots were planned“, She said.
“The recent incidents have been orchestrated by the United States, the Zionist regime and the people on its payroll and the Iranians who are traitors abroad,” Khamenei said.
“They have a big problem with a strong and independent Iran.”
Khamenei’s defense of the government crackdown and his dismissal of the protests as being led from abroad have suggested that the authorities are ready to redouble your effortsa stance that could further inflame the protesters.
The security forces and “the Iranian people were the biggest victims of these incidents,” he said.
“In the future, whenever our enemy wants to create chaos, the Iranian people will rise up to defend the brave and religious Iranian people.”
Khamenei has had health problems and last month canceled a series of meetings and public appearances due to illness, according to four people familiar with his condition.
He hadn’t commented on the protests until Monday, sparking speculation in Iran about his deteriorating health. deterioration.
The demonstrations have quickly spread to dozens of cities, fueled by videos of the harsh tactics employed by the security forces, and are among the largest demonstrations of defiance of the government of the Islamic Republic in years.
The government says so 41 peopleThey died during the riots, but human rights groups say the number is much higher.
Over the weekend, security forces and the Basij militia besieged the elite campus of the Sharif Universitywhere on Sunday the students organized a peaceful sit-in.
Riot officers surrounded the university and clashed with students, using shotguns and shotguns, according to a Telegram statement released by the student union.
Dozens of people were arrested, according to witnesses, although some were released soon after.
“Sharif University was intentionally used as a lecture for the rest of the country’s universities,” the student union said in its statement.
He invited university students and professors from all over the country to refrain from attending classes “as a sign of solidarity with the professors and students of Sharif University”.
Social media videos appeared on Monday to show college students on campuses across the country expressing solidarity with protesters at Sharif University.
In a video, students and professors from the University of Isfahan in central Iran are seen cheering and shouting across campus.
“So many years of crime!” they said.
“Death to the mullahs’ regime!”
On Friday, Zahedan, a city in the southeast with a Baluch population, was the scene of violence, with security forces firing on the crowd and protesters attacking a police station, according to videos posted on social media. .
Dozens were killed and wounded.
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Source: Clarin
