TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday that the recent riots in Iran were engineered by the United States and the Zionist regime of Israel with the help of treasonous Iranians living abroad.

“I clearly say that these riots and insecurities were engineered by the U.S., the usurping and fake Zionist regime, their paid agents, and certain treasonous Iranians abroad supported them,” the Leader said in a cadet graduation ceremony.

The Leader said the main problems of Israel and the U.S. are a “strong,” “independent” and “advanced” Iran.

He added the Iranian nation reacted “quite powerfully” and “bravely” toward these plots and they will do so whenever necessary.

Ayatollah Khamenei also reacted to the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old girl who fainted in police custody on September 13 and died three days later despite efforts to save her life.

“The death of the young girl also broke our heart,” the Leader pointed out.

Mahsa along with other women were detained by Tehran’s morality police to receive training on dress code laws.

 “Injustice against law enforcement force”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also lamented injustice against law enforcement forces, the Basij and the nation during the unrests.

Protests over the death of Amini first erupted first in her native province of Kurdistan and later spread to other parts of the country, including Tehran.

The protests soon turned into violent riots, with rioters going on the rampage, attacking security officers, resorting to vandalism against public property, and desecrating religious sanctities.

According to a statement released by the Iranian Intelligence Ministry on Friday, the rioters have been backed by Western regimes and their media outlets, who launched a misinformation campaign and distorted the sequence of events that led to Amini’s death even before the official investigation into the incident is concluded.

“They (Americans) are looking for Iran of the Pahlavi era, which obeyed their orders and was a milk cow to them.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said the riots were not natural as groups of people caused social disturbances on the streets, burnt copies of the Holy Quran, harassed veiled women, and set mosques, religious congregational halls and private cars on fire.

“If it were not for the young girl, they would have invented another excuse to create insecurity and trigger riots in the country on the first day of [the Persian calendar month of] Mehr this year,” the Leader remarked, according to Press TV.

“Many riots broke out across the world, including in Europe. There are riots every now and then in France and Paris in particular. But the question is: Has it ever been the case for the U.S. president and the House of Representatives to support the rioters and make statements? Is there another case where they have sent messages and stated that they are with them? Is there another case where mass media affiliated with American capitalism and their mercenaries in the region, including the Saudis, have supported rioters in other countries? And is there a case where Americans have announced that we will provide certain internet hardware or software to rioters so that they can communicate easily with each other?” the Leader stated.

“U.S. uses Amini death as excuse to foment insecurity”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution went on to say that expression of regret over the death of Amini by Americans was not genuine. “They are happy because of finding an excuse to foment insecurity,” he said.

He added while the heads of the three branches of government have expressed regret over the death of Amini, and the Judiciary chief in particular have promised to fully investigate the issue so that it will become clear “whether anybody is responsible or not” what is the reasons behind all these skirmishes and hasty remarks.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the country’s progress in all sectors, efforts aimed at facilitating domestic production, activation of knowledge-based companies, and the country’s ability to neutralize Western sanctions.

“They (enemies) do not want such progress to happen in the country, and have plotted to close universities, create insecurity on the streets, and engage state officials with new issues in the northwestern and southeastern flanks of the country in order to stop the growth,” the Leader said.

He emphasized that enemies are gravely mistaken in their calculations, and their plots will not yield anything at all.

Pointing the loyalty of all Iranians, including religious and ethnic minorities, to the Islamic Republic establishment, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “I have lived among the Balouchis and they are deeply loyal to the Islamic Republic. The Kurds also are among the most advanced Iranian ethnic groups and they are interested in the country, Islam and the system.”

The Leader was openly referring to the deadly attack against a police station in Zahedan, the capital of the border province of Sistan-Balouchestan, on Friday in which five security forces were martyred at the hands of militants, hooligans and groups linked to famous terrorist groups such as Jaish ul-Adl.   

He went on to say such plans against Iran show the intention of the enemies and the “same enemy who in diplomatic statements claims we don’t intend to attack Iran or change its regime” have ill intentions and plan to “cause riots, undermine national security and inflame the feelings of those who may be tempted by such incitements.”

Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that the U.S. is not only against the Islamic Republic but also against a strong and independent Iran, adding, “They are looking for Iran of the Pahlavi era, which obeyed their orders and was a milk cow to them.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said bullying powers are behind the unrest in the country and the issue is not over the death of a young girl or over hijab (a head covering), adding many of those who do not fully observe hijab “are serious defenders of the Islamic Republic.”

The Leader added, “The conflict is over the independence, resilience and the power of Islamic Iran.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also pointed to the stances of some Iranian sports figures and artists regarding the latest riots in Iran, noting, “In my opinion, these positions are of no importance and one should not be sensitive about them.”