Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei published a series of statements accusing foreign powers of orchestrating what he described as a recent "sedition" against the Islamic Regime, asserting that the unrest was planned, directed, and managed from abroad.
According to Khamenei, the uprising was orchestrated by "Zionists & the US." He claimed he had been informed "through a certain channel that the CIA & Mossad deployed all of their resources into the field," adding that despite this, "they were defeated." Khamenei said the sedition’s plan "was developed abroad, and it was managed from abroad."
Khamenei argued that US involvement was evident from remarks made by the US President himself. "When we say the sedition was orchestrated by the US, it isn’t merely a claim," he wrote, adding that what made this clear were the President’s own statements. According to Khamenei, the US President explicitly addressed the rioters and told them, "Keep going, keep going. I’m coming [to help]."
The Iranian leader said the recent unrest was neither the first nor the last such episode, stating that Iran is a country "in friction with the interests of global aggressors." He questioned how long such efforts would continue, answering that it would be "until the Iranian nation reaches a point where the enemy is left hopeless," adding, "And we will reach that point."
Khamenei said that the law enforcement forces, the Basij, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "carried out their duties in full," but emphasized that "it was the people themselves who trampled the fire of sedition into ashes."
Addressing economic protests, Khamenei said that shopkeepers "did have grievances and their demands were logical and justified," but claimed that rioters hid behind peaceful demonstrations. He said that once shopkeepers realized the protests were leading to riots, "they separated themselves."
Khamenei described the unrest as resembling a coup attempt, asking why it should be defined as such. He answered that it was because "the goal was to destroy the centers effective in the country's governance." According to him, attackers targeted police forces, IRGC bases, government institutions, and banks.
Another feature of the unrest, Khamenei said, was that ringleaders allegedly trained by the US and Zionists were tasked with what he called "engineered killings." He claimed they even attacked "the foot soldiers whom they themselves had drawn into the field with their propaganda," striking them from behind.
Khamenei said the goal of the sedition was to undermine security, warning that "when security is gone, nothing is left." He added that without security there is "no production, no schools, no research, no scientific knowledge, and no progress."
He further described the violence as similar to that of the Daesh terror organization. "A defining feature of this sedition was its violence; it was like that of the Daesh," he said. Referring to the origins of ISIS, Khamenei cited a statement he attributed to the current US President, saying, "We created ISIS." He claimed that, like Daesh, those involved in the unrest "burned people alive" and "beheaded people," committing the same atrocities.