Exploitation of Protests to Incite Unrest “Absolutely Unacceptable”: Iranian Supreme Leader
Tehran, January 4. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday described attempts to exploit economic protests by merchants to incite domestic unrest and insecurity as “absolutely unacceptable.”
Khamenei made these remarks during a meeting in Tehran with the families of those killed in the 12-day war with Israel in June. Quoting the official news agency IRNA, Xinhua reported Khamenei as stating that for some people, “under various labels and names,” to exploit the protests of “faithful and honest” merchants is not acceptable under any circumstances.
He strongly criticized “provoked or paid agents of the enemy” for using these protests as an opportunity to chant slogans against Iran and the Islamic Revolution.
According to a report by The Associated Press (AP), protests spread across various parts of Iran on Thursday over rising living costs, leading to an exchange of threats between the US President and top Iranian officials.
In a post on Truth Social on Thursday local time, US President Donald Trump claimed, “If Iran kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.” In response, Iranian officials issued warnings against US interference in the country’s internal affairs.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on X (formerly Twitter), “The country’s armed forces are on standby and know exactly where to aim in the event of any violation of Iranian sovereignty.”
According to a report by the IRNA news agency, the Foreign Ministry stated in an announcement, “The response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to any aggression will be quick, decisive, and comprehensive.”
Top Iranian official Ali Larijani also warned on his X account, “US interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America’s interests.”
According to a report by Al Jazeera, this unrest comes at a critical time for Iran as Western sanctions are further damaging an economy already hit by 40 percent inflation, and following June airstrikes by Israel and the US which targeted the country’s nuclear infrastructure and military leadership.
According to information from Xinhua News Agency, the Iranian rial has weakened significantly since the US withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions. On the open market, one US dollar is currently selling for over 1.35 million rials.
