Iran’s Ambassador to Armenia, Khalil Shirgholami, claimed on Wednesday that the deadly clashes in Iran amid the ongoing protests have been incited by foreign-trained ‘terrorists’ and ‘extremists’.
The Iranian government hasn’t released a death toll amid the ongoing demonstrations but a rights group said 2,600 people have been killed in recent days in a crackdown. Some Western countries have accused the Iranian authorities of violently suppressing peaceful protests.
Speaking at a press conference, the ambassador said that the right to protest is enshrined in the Iranian constitution, and the government does not restrain the right of the Iranian people to do so.
“However, a small group of terrorists and extremists, trained abroad and infiltrated into Iran, managed to exploit people’s right to hold peaceful demonstrations, inciting atrocities. Just as the Iranian government is obligated to ensure people’s freedom of speech and right to protest, it is equally responsible for ensuring public safety. Accordingly, the police were given appropriate instructions to maintain the normal course of peaceful demonstrations, so that people could exercise their right to protest under safe conditions. The police were unarmed, equipped only with tear gas. January 9 and 10 proved to be a turning point, when it became clear that a directed process was underway, aimed at creating instability within society and fragmenting the country, similar to what happened in Syria," the ambassador stated.
The diplomat expressed regret that, during the events of recent days, there have been armed clashes, resulting in the deaths of police officers and civilians, as well as arson targeting public and private property.
The ambassador described all of this as organized crime, asserting that it was carried out by specially trained groups from abroad whose goal was to destabilize the situation.
Asked to comment on U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that the United States would intervene if the Iranian government opened fire at protesters, the ambassador emphasized that they witnessed crimes that are incomparable even to the actions of terrorist groups.
“There have been four cases in which police officers were beheaded. There were shootings and instances of arson. We have documented evidence in which instructions to shoot people in the head can be clearly heard. Studies have shown that the terrorists were not residents of the cities where the atrocities were carried out. Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that representatives of Israel’s Mossad were present on the streets of Iranian cities. It became clear that these were not just words. Unfortunately, as a result of all this, police officers and civilians were killed. Members of these terrorist groups, who had arrived in Iran beforehand, were also killed," the Iranian Ambassador said.
He said there is a clear distinction between peaceful demonstrations and actions that provoke unrest; therefore, no government would tolerate acts of rebellion or the targeting of police officers, including firing upon them.
According to the ambassador, in just one day, 53 mosques were set on fire in Iran. More than 200 shops were also burned in the northern city of Rasht. Public institutions were targeted as well, including banks, hospitals, transportation hubs, and emergency and fire service vehicles.
“What we witnessed was the 13th day of the 12-day war waged against Iran. At that time, the United States and Israel did not achieve their objectives. Inciting unrest and creating instability in Iran was considered the next step, but the march of millions of people supporting the authorities in Iran thwarted the plans of external forces. The complete blackout of the internet in our country was aimed at preventing large-scale atrocities and violence. It was also carried out to sever the connection between terrorists and their foreign leaders. Some of them have been arrested and have given confessions that are simply shocking,” the ambassador said.
He recalled that Israel waged a 12-day war against Iran, resulting in 1,100 Iranian casualties, and now Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is claiming he is “ready to help the Iranian people.”
“Donald Trump, who is himself the architect of the harshest and most severe sanctions against Iran, also speaks of supporting the Iranian people. The U.S. president had declared that he would intervene if protesters in Iran were fired upon. The Iranian government is not killing its people and has not done so. For a week, the protests were conducted entirely peacefully. This continued until pre-trained and prepared elements intervened and exploited people’s right to hold peaceful demonstrations. However, they do not truly know the Iranian people and do not understand their strength. The Iranian people may protest the government over various issues, but they would never sell their country to outsiders,” the Iranian ambassador said, claiming that the situation is now calm and under the government’s control. He denounced any attempts of foreign interference into Iran’s internal affairs.
“People have realized that their gatherings ultimately led to violence due to the intervention of a small group of individuals. Citizens were protesting the existing socio-economic situation, but they saw that the foundations of their lives were being undermined by the actions of terrorists. If aggression is carried out against Iran, we are prepared to respond appropriately. We hope that Donald Trump will not become a victim of certain radical groups and their intentions,” the Iranian ambassador said.
