Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and European leaders "incited" tensions during the recent protests that have gripped the country.
"They have armed many innocent people with weapons and brought them to the streets. They were incited in such a way that they will tear the country apart and create conflict and hatred among the people," Pezeshkian said in a televised address on Saturday, according to a report by Iran's state-run Student News Network.
The Iranian president also said, "In any normal protest, no one takes up a gun. No one kills the military. No one sets fire to ambulances or markets. We should sit with the protesters. Listen to their words and concerns and address them. We are ready to listen."
"Everyone knows that this was not just a social movement," Pezeshkian said. Foreign powers "took advantage of our problems," "provoked us," and "tried to divide our society."
Iranian authorities have acknowledged that thousands of people have been killed in recent protests, putting the death toll at more than 3,000. However, they claim that most of those killed were members of the security forces or pedestrians killed by "rioters".
However, Western-based human rights organizations have claimed that the number of people killed is likely much higher.
Trump has been threatening military strikes on Iran for weeks over the deadly crackdown on protests earlier this month, which Tehran has repeatedly claimed were instigated by foreign powers.
A US warship has been stationed in Middle Eastern waters since Monday, with Trump threatening to say it is "ready, willing and able" to strike Iran "if necessary."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that his country was ready to hold talks with the United States on a "fair and equal basis." He added, "Iran has no problem with talks, but there can be no talks under threats."
"I want to make it clear that Iran's defense and missile capabilities will never be a subject of discussion," Araghchi said at a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
The United States announced sanctions on Iran's interior minister and other officials separately on Friday in response to the protests.
In a statement on the sanctions, the US Treasury Department said Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni "oversees the Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Members of this organization are responsible for the deaths of thousands of peaceful protesters."
The individuals sanctioned include several senior officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranian investor Babak Morteza Zanjani, who is accused of "embezzling billions of dollars from the Iranian people."
For the first time, the US Treasury Department has also imposed sanctions on digital currency exchanges linked to Iran, which have "transacted large amounts of money for IRGC-affiliated parties."
.png)
0 Comments