The Islamic Republic’s supreme leader has stated that Washington should be held responsible for inciting unrest in the country.
The Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that Iran has overcome the US by suppressing the violent protests that swept across the country.
In late December, demonstrations broke out all over Iran due to high inflation and other economic issues. Soon, they developed into more extensive anti – government protests with clashes that resulted in hundreds of deaths among both security forces and rioters.
However, earlier this week, the authorities in Tehran announced that they had brought the situation under control, and calm had returned to the country’s major cities.
On Saturday, in a series of posts on X, Khamenei accused the US and Israel of being behind the unrest, specifically pointing out Washington as the main instigator.
“The US had made thorough preparations to stage this sedition. This sedition was a precursor to even larger plots. The Iranian nation defeated the US,” he wrote.
The supreme leader insisted that Donald Trump “was personally involved in the sedition,” referring to the US president’s promise to the protestors that “help is on its way” and the deployment of American warships to the Middle East.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that a US strike on Iran was “imminent.” Nevertheless, the attack did not happen in the end. Trump later said that he decided to cancel it after learning that Tehran had changed its plan to execute the more violent rioters detained during the unrest.
“Yes, we put out the fire of the sedition, but that’s not sufficient. The US must be held accountable,” Khamenei insisted.
The authorities in Tehran “do not aim to lead the country into war. However, we won’t simply let the criminals go,” he added, referring to those both inside and outside Iran.
In another report, Reuters claimed that a senior Iranian official told the agency that Tehran had warned its neighbors that it could target US bases in the Middle East if Washington carried out its threat to strike the Islamic Republic.
According to the supreme leader, “agents” of the US and Israel “killed several thousand people” during the riots. They “destroyed” 250 mosques and over 250 educational institutions, and also damaged the power grid and healthcare facilities, he said.