Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday blamed foreign “enemies” for recent protests in the country.
He was addressing a ceremony in Tehran, which marked 33 years since the death of his predecessor and leader of the 1979 Iranian revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
The latest waves of protests have taken place in the Khuzestan region, where the death toll from a building collapse last month in the city of Abadan has risen to 37 people.
Khamenei claimed foreigners hoped to harm the country’s regime through the unrest.
“Today, the enemies’ most important hope for striking a blow at the country is based on popular protests,” he said.
Khamenei touted Iran’s commitment to “national unity” and claimed it respects “different views and tendencies.”
He also accused the West of waging “psychological war,” after Iran was accused of “piracy” for seizing two Greek oil tankers in the Persian Gulf last month.
“They steal Iranian oil off the Greek coast, then our brave men who don’t fear death respond and seized the enemy’s oil tanker,” Khamenei said. “But they use their media empire and extensive propaganda to accuse Iran of piracy.”
“Who is the pirate? You stole our oil, we took it back from you. Taking back a stolen property is not called stealing,” he added.
