The Leader of the Islamic Republic Once Again Threatened Protesters

The Leader of the Islamic Republic warned against "sowing doubt," "spreading fear," "creating division," and "instilling despair" regarding his government during a speech. Ali Khamenei threatened protesters, whom he refers to as rioters, on Sunday, December 24. He claimed that "today, sowing doubt is one of the fundamental tasks of the enemy" and urged his audience to combat what he called the "triple threat of spreading fear, creating division, and instilling despair." He then added, "An American element says in a veiled manner that whoever causes unrest in Iran, we will help them; fools have smelled the scent of kebab. The Iranian nation will trample anyone who accepts American mercenaries under their feet." Iranian officials have always labeled protesters as rioters and popular protests as unrest. Khamenei did not specify the name of the "American element" he referred to, and his remarks come at a time when Donald Trump, the elected President of the United States, has rejected the idea of intervening in Iran's internal politics to change the regime. Nine days prior, Senator Ted Cruz, a member of the Republican Party's Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees, stated in a speech that "change is coming soon; the Iranian regime is weak and they are scared... Khamenei will fall... and we will witness free and democratic elections in Iran. Freedom is on the way and it can come so quickly that it will surprise almost everyone. Just ask Bashar al-Assad." In response to Khamenei, the Israeli Defense Minister stated that Tehran is responsible for the fall of its ally. The Leader of the Islamic Republic also referred to American and Israeli officials as "people of the devil," using terms like "fools" and "exaggerators," stating that "they have fallen into nonsense today." Khamenei had previously called for government action against negative analyses regarding developments in Syria. He warned those who, according to him, "empty the hearts of the people and scare them" about the type of analyses being presented regarding the current situation of the Islamic Republic, stating that such analyses are "a crime and must be dealt with." These threats follow increasing internal criticism of the Islamic Republic's policies regarding the Middle East and analyses suggesting a domino effect of regional developments that could extend to Iran. Following the severe weakening of the extremist groups Hamas and Hezbollah and the developments in Syria that led to the collapse of the regime supported by the Islamic Republic in that country, Khamenei stated on Sunday that "they keep saying that the Islamic Republic has lost its proxy forces in the region" and claimed, "this is another mistake. The Islamic Republic has no proxy forces." Some Iranian officials claim they provide "advisory" assistance to their supported armed militia groups in the region, asserting that they are not "proxy" groups. Over the past decade, the Islamic Republic of Iran has played a significant role in favor of Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war by sending large numbers of its military forces and Afghan and Pakistani residents of Iran in the form of two brigades, "Fatimiyoun" and "Zeinbiyoun," in exchange for financial assistance and residency cards in Iran, but this government has recently collapsed. On December 12, Khamenei, without providing evidence, labeled the rapid fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria as a "joint plan" of the U.S. and Israel, and without mentioning a specific country, stated that a neighboring country of Syria also played a "clear role" in this event. Khamenei continued his speech on Sunday regarding this issue, saying, "Now they think they feel victorious. The Americans, the Zionist regime, and those who are with them feel they have achieved victory and have fallen into exaggeration. The nature of the people of the devil is such that when they feel victorious, they lose control of their tongues, they exaggerate, and they speak nonsense." He then called for Syrian citizens to "stand" against "this plan" and without further explanation, stated that he believes a group aligned with the Islamic Republic will achieve victory in Syria in the future.