Hossein Salami
Hossein SalamiReuters

The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, General Hossein Salami, on Tuesday claimed that Iran’s enemies are planning “sedition”, ahead of the anniversary of last year’s protests, Iran International reported.

Speaking at a conference of Basij paramilitary officials in Tehran, Salami claimed that the “enemy” suffered a crushing defeat during last year’s protests, which he called “riots”, and added that they will fail in inciting a sedition given the Islamic Republic’s “preparedness and vigilance”.

He insisted that “The solution to [such plots] is prevention,” he added.

“The Basij [militia] and the IRGC were present on the scene in last year’s massive sedition -- with resourcefulness, perseverance, high degree of self-confidence and great hope, standing beside the people and defeating the enemy by exposing their plots,” Salami said, according to Iran International.

Salami described the protests as “the most severe, most dangerous, most serious, most unequal and most massive global battle” against the Islamic Republic.

Iran witnessed waves of nationwide protests following the September 16 death of 22-year-old Amini, an Iranian Kurd who had been arrested for an alleged breach of the Islamic Republic's strict dress rules for women.

The government crackdown on the demonstrations resulted in hundreds of people being killed, including dozens of security personnel, and thousands arrested.

Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, have long accused “hostile foreign powers” of stoking the unrest.

In June, Iran’s intelligence services blamed 20 countries, including Israel, of being involved in the nationwide protests.

In addition to Israel, Iran named the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Belgium, Italy, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.