TEHRAN, IRAN
Rouhani said in a statement at the meeting of the Council of Ministers: “Once again, our people came out victorious in the face of the riots that were the conspiracy of the enemy.”
“These anarchists were organized, armed,” Rouhani said, “the number of anarchists on the streets was small.” Labelling the peoples of the country as the enemy, Rouhani stated that the demonstrations and reactionary forces of the region were the conspiracy of the Zionists and the Americans.
Rouhani praised the pro-government protests organized against the demonstrations and argued that these actions developed spontaneously in many cities.
Iranian religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday evening that they “repelled the enemy.” Khamenei suggested that the demonstrations which had errupted did not become “a security problem,” as if the demonstrations had ended.
The demonstrations began on Friday after a surprise hike on gasoline prices. Authorities claim that 5 people were murdered, 4 of them are members of the regime’s security, claiming that only one of them is a civilian. However, according to Amnesty International, more than 100 civilians were killed. The UN is concerned that dozens of people have been murdered.
