Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali KhameneiWANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised Iran’s Basij paramilitary force for its role in the deadly crackdown on the anti-regime protesters.

According to CNN, in a meeting with Basij personnel in Tehran Saturday, Ali Khamenei said that the protesters are “rioters” and “thugs” and claimed that they are backed by foreign forces.

“When facing the enemy on the field of battle the Basij has always shown itself to be courageous, not afraid of the enemy,” Khamenei said. “You saw in the most recent events, our innocent and oppressed Basijis became the targets of oppression so that they wouldn’t allow the nation to become the targets of rioters and thugs and those on the enemy payroll, whether wittingly or unwittingly. They gave of themselves to free others.”