Khamenei Accuses 'Enemies' of Involvement in Recent Protests in Iran

Continuing the claims of Iranian officials regarding the role of foreign countries in recent gatherings, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic accused countries referred to as 'enemies of Iran' of having 'allied' in recent days to create 'problems' for the Islamic Republic. According to the state news agency IRNA, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated on Tuesday, January 2, that 'in the recent events, the enemies of Iran have allied with various tools at their disposal, including money, weapons, politics, and security apparatus to create problems for the Islamic system.' He announced that he would speak on this matter 'in due time' without providing any evidence. In past years, the Supreme Leader has spoken in response to widespread protests in Iran, and after these speeches, security forces have suppressed the demonstrators. Following protests against the attack on Tehran University dormitory on July 9, 1999, Ayatollah Khamenei spoke on July 12 of that year in response to the protests. After this speech, security forces suppressed the protests of students and other demonstrators in Tehran, and on July 14, a government rally was held to counter these protests. On June 19, 2009, a week after protests against the presidential election results, the Supreme Leader fiercely attacked the demonstrators and their leaders in Friday prayers, and a day after these remarks, security forces violently attacked the demonstrators, resulting in reports of several protesters being killed. However, protests against the presidential election results continued for about eight months after these remarks. In recent days, Hassan Rouhani and other government, security, and military officials of the Islamic Republic have accused the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia of being involved in the recent protests in Iran without providing evidence. Donald Trump and several officials from his administration and U.S. lawmakers have supported peaceful protests in Iran. Israel has denied involvement in the protests in Iran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Rouhani's accusations as 'lies and ridiculous.' While Iranian officials have previously accused countries such as the U.S., Israel, and Britain of involvement in some protests against the Islamic Republic, Saudi Arabia's name has also been added to the list of countries mentioned by Iranian officials in recent protests. Meanwhile, Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, accused Saudi Arabia of 'being involved' in the recent widespread protests in Iran and warned that 'they will receive an appropriate response from Iran.' Mr. Shamkhani and Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, had previously accused Saudi Arabia of supporting armed opposition groups against the Islamic Republic in Sistan and Baluchestan and Kurdistan provinces, but they have denied this accusation. The Hope Faction of the Parliament has called for preventing the 'securitization of public demands' in a statement regarding the recent protests. This faction, consisting of reformists and supporters of the government, stated that 'differentiating between protest and chaos and avoiding damage and destruction of public property' is essential. They also announced that 'more effective utilization of the capacities of all political and social figures and lifting restrictions on some of them will help manage challenges more effectively and justify and explain policies better and find solutions to problems.' This faction's request for 'lifting restrictions' on some political figures may refer to the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, leaders of the Green Movement, and the 'restrictions' on Mohammad Khatami's participation in public meetings. The Hope Faction also urged the Minister of Interior to provide the 'necessary conditions' for implementing Article 27 of the Constitution and 'prevent the securitization of public demands.' Article 27 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran states: 'Formation of gatherings and marches, without carrying weapons, is free, provided it does not disrupt the principles of Islam.' However, there are complex conditions in Iranian laws for issuing permits for gatherings or marches, and the Ministry of Interior has only approved a few requests in this regard in recent years. Groups requesting to hold gatherings or marches must also provide 'complete details of the executive and security officials' to the Ministry of Interior, in addition to issues such as the topic and timing of the march. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Interior has rarely issued permits for marches and gatherings in recent years, including rejecting requests from Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, leaders of the protests against the 2009 presidential election and their supporting parties to hold gatherings. Additionally, there have been crackdowns on workers' union gatherings in recent years. The Hope Faction's statement also called for serious measures against corruption and discrimination, expansion of judicial justice, necessary mechanisms for rebuilding social trust, and enhancing the effectiveness of various government branches, as well as changing the budget orientation for the year 1397 in favor of vulnerable groups. Some officials of the Islamic Republic have attributed the recent gatherings to economic issues and rising prices. This is while protesters have chanted strong slogans against the Supreme Leader and Hassan Rouhani in their gatherings, in addition to protesting against inflation and rising prices.