Foreign Minister Araghchi Says Iran Has Evidence of US and Israel's Involvement in Riots

JAKARTA - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has evidence of the involvement of the United States and Israel in the unrest amid the ongoing protests in the country.

"We have a lot of documents that prove that the US and Israel are involved in the terrorist activities that have taken place in Iran in recent days," he said at a meeting with the heads of foreign diplomatic missions in Tehran, quoted by TASS (13/1).

The senior Iranian diplomat added that former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "also admitted that the (Israeli intelligence agency) Mossad guided the terrorist movement together with the rioters."

"We will investigate this matter, but those whose statements contribute to the increase in casualties are responsible for this development," Foreign Minister Araghchi said.

"Western countries condemn our police, not terrorists. They are the ones who failed to condemn the genocide of more than 70,000 people in the Gaza Strip and the death of more than 1,000 Iranians at the hands of the US and Israel. Today, they support terrorists in Iran," he said.

Previously, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in a television interview said Israel and the US were the instigators of destabilization, with Iran's enemies having brought in "terrorists who burn mosques, attack banks, and public property," Al Arabiya reported from Reuters.

"Families, I ask you: don't let your children join the rioters and terrorists who behead people and kill others," he said, adding that the government was ready to listen to the people and solve economic problems.

It is known that the protests broke out on December 28 in the Grand Bazaar of Tehran in connection with the sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial and the worsening economic conditions, which then spread to several cities.

On December 30, students joined the riots. The riots spread to most major cities.

The protests reached their peak on the night of January 8, when at least 13 civilians, including a child, were killed by the actions of the rioters. The authorities reported the deaths of 38 law enforcement officers.

The mayor of Tehran, Alireza Zakani, said rioters burned 25 mosques, damaged 26 banks, three health centers, 10 government buildings, more than 100 fire trucks, buses, and ambulances, and 24 apartments.

Meanwhile, a special unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), arrested two people in the North Khorasan Province, eastern Iran who are believed to be linked to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.

The Tasnim news agency quoted a source as saying the suspects played "a key role in organizing mass riots in the country."

The source also noted that a number of evidence, including communication tools, light weapons, and ammunition, were seized from the suspects during the search.