TEHRAN — Government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Wednesday that the death toll resulting from the widespread November protests will be announced in the coming days, ISNA reported.

Rabiei said the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization is responsible to announce the death toll, but further investigations by security bodies were needed before making the announcement.

“I think in the coming days the exact statistics of the Aban (November) incidents would be release by relevant bodies,” he added.

Widespread protests erupted in Iran in November 2019 after the government announced an increase in the price of gasoline, a subsidized commodity that is still cheaper in Iran than other countries in the world.

Protests turned violent in some cases. A number of banks and government buildings were set ablaze. Some rioters even tried to put oil pipelines and refineries on ablaze.

Soon after the protests erupted, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei supported the government’s decision, putting an end to doubts and possible moves to reverse the decision.

Ayatollah Khamenei urged the authorities to take good care of the affected people and assuage the hardship caused by the move.

Government will do its utmost not be put on FATF blacklist

Also asked about the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Rabiei said the government is doing everything it can with that regard.

“According to the economy minister’s report today, most countries, including Europe, China, Russia, Turkey, South Africa and other friends of Iran, supported us and only the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Israel opposed Iran,” the spokesman said.

“The same countries that are sponsoring terrorism tried the most to put Iran in the [FATF’s] blacklist,” he added.

He said the government continues its efforts so that the Islamic Republic reaches the best decision.

“Our effort is aimed at not entering the black list, but if we do, it would be possible to exit,” Rabiei said.

On the latest developments surrounding the downed Ukrainian plane’s black box, the spokesman wondered why the other sides have not sent the necessary software to decipher the contents of the black box.

“However, we will continue our measures along with Ukraine,” he said. “The government has decided that the deciphering of the black box take place outside Iran with Iran’s presence if it would not be possible to do so inside Iran.”

The Ukrainian passenger plane, with 176 people aboard, was mistaken for an invading missile. The tragic incident happened a few hours after Iran fired missiles at a U.S. airbase in Iraq in retaliation for the January 3 assassination of General Qassem Soleimani. Following the retaliation attack, the Iranian military had been put on high alert. 

The victims of the crash included 82 Iranians, 63 Iranian-Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans, and three British nationals.

MH/PA