January 2, 2018 — Iranian regime Suprem leader Khamenei blamed “enemies” for hurting the country as protests entered a sixth day.
“During the events of the past several days, Iran’s enemies, using the various tools at their disposal, including money, weapons, politics, and security apparatus, have allied [with one another] to create problems for the Islamic establishment,” Khamenei said on Tuesday.
At least 21 people have died in nationwide protests and hundreds have been arrested, the largest demonstrations since the disputed 2009 presidential election.
Six protesters were killed trying to enter a police station in Qahderijan and two were killed in Khomeinishahr. A member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was also killed in the town of Najafabad.
Arrested protesters could potentially face the death penalty if the charges include “Moharebeh,” or waging war against God is laid against them.
Iranian Interior Minister Hossein Zolfaghari said security forces “decisively countered the saboteurs” who resorted to violence.
British leaders called for Iran to enter “meaningful debate” amid protests.
“We believe that there should be meaningful debate about the legitimate and important issues the protesters are raising and we look to the Iranian authorities to permit this,” British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said.
Meanwhile, Syria’s foreign ministry is supporting the Iranian government.
“Syria is confident that Iran’s leadership, government and people will be able to defeat the conspiracy,” the Syrian ministry said in a statement.
The Iranian government limited access to the Internet and social media — including apps like Telegram and Instagram, which were used to organize protests that began in December.
Extracted from a UPI report
