Tehran, Iran. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said US, Israeli and European leaders exploited Iran’s economic problems and encouraged unrest during two weeks of nationwide protests. He said the leaders supplied resources that enabled people to “tear the nation apart.”
Pezeshkian’s accusations in state TV broadcast
Pezeshkian said in a live state television broadcast that US, Israeli and European leaders tried to “provoke, create division, and supplied resources, drawing some innocent people into this movement.” He said Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Europeans “rode on our problems, provoked, and were seeking — and still seek — to fragment society.”
He added that “they brought them into the streets and wanted, as they said, to tear this country apart, to sow conflict and hatred among the people and create division,” and said, “Everyone knows that the issue was not just a social protest.”
Protests, crackdown and casualty figures
The protests began in late December over an economic crisis marked by soaring inflation and rising living costs, and have abated after a crackdown by the clerical authorities. The US-based rights group HRANA said at least 6,563 people were killed, including 6,170 protesters and 214 security forces.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told CNN Turk that 3,100 people, including 2,000 security forces, had been killed.
US statements and reported military movements
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced support for the demonstrators, saying the United States was prepared to take action if Iran continued to kill protesters. US officials said on Friday that Trump was reviewing his options but had not decided whether to strike Iran.
Israel’s Ynet news website reported on Friday that a US Navy destroyer had docked at the Israeli port of Eilat.
Diplomatic efforts by regional allies
Regional allies including Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have been engaging in diplomatic efforts to prevent a military confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
How do you assess the impact of international statements on domestic protests in Iran?
