Iran’s Khamenei lashes out as Tehran struggles to quell protests

Supreme person warns against overseas enemies and reiterates menace that authorities volition ace down connected the unrest.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for “unity” successful the look of “terrorist actions” arsenic wide protests proceed to stone the country.

In an code broadcast connected Iranian authorities TV connected Friday, Khamenei warned against the protests, which the authorities person framed arsenic a crippled by overseas enemies, chiefly the United States, and reiterated a menace that authorities volition ace down connected the unrest.

Khamenei accused the protesters of acting connected behalf of US President Donald Trump, saying rioters were attacking nationalist spot and informing that ‍Tehran would not tolerate radical acting arsenic “mercenaries for foreigners”. He accused Trump of having hands “stained with the blood” of Iranians.

Tehran is struggling to summation power of the situation, which has seen dozens of protesters and astatine slightest 4 members of the information forces killed since the demonstrations started connected December 28.

While President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for restraint and for the authorities to perceive to “genuine” grievances, different voices person warned that the authorities volition amusement nary leniency, noting that the protests person received enactment from “foreign foes”.

Cut off

The protests implicit economical hardship ⁠were acceptable disconnected by Tehran shopkeepers angered by a crisp descent successful the rial currency.

Authorities chopped disconnected entree to the net connected Thursday successful an evident determination to suppress the protestation movement. The blackout was maintained connected Friday, portion the telephone strategy was besides down, and airlines cancelled flights successful and retired of the country.

However, videos shared by activists purported to amusement protesters chanting against the authorities astir bonfires arsenic debris littered the streets successful the capital, Tehran, and different areas.

Breaking its soundlessness connected the protests connected Friday, Iranian authorities media alleged “terrorist agents” of the US and Israel had acceptable fires and sparked violence. It besides said determination were “casualties,” without elaborating.

Trump repeated connected Thursday a menace that his state would not let Tehran to termination protesters.

Iran has “been told precise powerfully … that if they bash that, they’re going to person to wage hell,” helium told an interviewer.

People locomotion past shops closed during protests successful Tehran’s centuries-old main bazaar [File: Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]

However, the US president has ruled out gathering with Iran’s self-proclaimed “Crown Prince” Reza Pahlavi, suggesting that Washington is not acceptable to backmost a successor to the authorities successful Tehran, should it collapse.

Pahlavi, the lad of Iran’s past shah, who was toppled by the Islamic gyration of 1979, has called for much demonstrations.

Pahlavi’s telephone “turned the tide” of the protests, Holly Dagres, a elder chap astatine the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told The Associated Press quality agency, adding that societal media posts amusement that Iranians “were taking the telephone earnestly to protestation successful bid to oust the Islamic republic.”

“This is precisely wherefore the net was unopen down: to forestall the satellite from seeing the protests,” she continued. “Unfortunately, it besides apt provided screen for information forces to termination protesters.”

Khamenei said successful his TV code that protesters are “ruining their ain streets to marque the president of different state happy,” successful a notation to Trump.

An assemblage was heard chanting: “Death to America!”