Khamenei: Foreign actors based in ‘neighbour country’ sought regime change
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iran’s Supreme Leader insisted they have accurate “intelligence” that an alliance of the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and an Iranian opposition party staged an attempt from a neighbouring country to overthrow the Islamic Republic, hijacking legitimate protests.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Iran will not stay silent in response to the alleged foreign interference.
An Iranian official had earlier blamed the protests on a CIA-run plot out of Erbil, a charge that resurfaced again on Tuesday when an Iranian body said they have intelligence with “100 percent accuracy” on the matter.
Both the Kurdistan Region and CIA have denied the accusations.
Speaking for the second time after a wave of anti-government protests engulfed dozens of Iranian cities and killed at least 22 people, Khamenei claimed that Israel and the United States, with the backing of Saudi Arabia, run two bases in a “neighbouring country.”
The role of one was to “organize the riots” and the other provided cover for the protests on social media, he asserted, adding that the charges are “real and based on intelligence.”
He alleged that the Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (MEK), an Iranian opposition party that calls for regime change, was also involved.
“They considered their victory was inevitable,” Khamenei said, but they “failed, and will fail again in the future.”
Mohsen Rezaee, who heads an advisory board that reports to the Supreme Leader, claimed on Saturday that they had intelligence showing the CIA had been working for some time to stage anti-government protests.
He claimed that several months ago the “head of the special operations desk of CIA in Erbil” formed a team with close associates of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, “a representative from Saudi Arabia, Barzanis, and Munafiqeen [MEK]” to stage protests.
Bahram Ghasemi, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Monday that their ministry did not have information that Kurdish authorities may have been behind the protests, but added that he did not have access to security assessments of the events. He found it hard to believe that the people of Kurdistan or its authorities may have tried to threaten Iran’s security.
KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani denied the Iranian accusations last week while calling it a “comedy,” adding that they believe the protests are an internal matter that concerns the Iranian people.
Ghasemi said Iran values the remarks made by the PM.
The Expediency Discernment Council, an organization headed by Rezaee, said in a statement on Tuesday in response to Qhasemi remarks that they have intelligence with “100 percent accuracy” that backs the accusations made against the Kurdistan Region and CIA.
“Whether the officials of the Kurdistan Region were present in the meeting or not has to be explained by security officials,” the statement continued.
Mahmoud Sadeqhi, an Iranian MP who attended a closed session of the legislature on Sunday with the ministers of intelligence and interior, wrote on Twitter that no foreign agent was involved in the protests.
"Based on the accounts of the intelligence officials, there has not been any foreign actor involved in the recent unrests," the MP representing Tehran tweeted on Sunday.
US President Donald Trump, among other American officials, voiced his support for the week-long protests on an almost daily basis, but maintained at the same time that the protests were “spontaneous.”
Khamenei warned that those accused of supporting the protests will pay a price.
“First, you the ruling authority in America, your head hit a rock this time. You may try again, but do know that your head will hit a rock in the future. Second, you caused damage to us these days. This act will not go without a response. And third, this man – who sits at the top of there [White House], who seems to lack mental stability [people laugh] – should know that this psychotic show will not go unanswered,” the Supreme Leader said to laughter as he took a swipe at Trump.
He reminded Iranian officials, including himself, that they should work to heal the “wounds” that brought the people into the streets to express their rightful discontent, such as lack of job opportunities.
Though there was a foreign agenda at play in the protests, he said, this does not mean there are no problems in the country. The “enemies” of Iran took advantage of these problems, he claimed.
Khamenei also said it was important to differentiate between those who took to the streets to express their “legitimate demands” and those who worked with foreign actors to “riot.” Other Iranian officials have made similar statements.
The Ayatollah praised the role of pro-government rallies in countering the protests. “I have to thank the people not once, but a thousand times,” he said.
During the protests, some chanted slogans against Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani. In the wake of the demonstrations, Rouhani has pushed for reforms, not just economic but societal as well.
Khamenei said on Tuesday that Rouhani has his full backing. “I will help whoever the people vote for, as I have done for every cabinet including the current one, and will do so,” he said.
Anti-government protests began on December 28, 2017 in the far east of Iran, then spread to more than 80 cities across the country, reaching the far northwestern provinces of Iranian Kurdistan. More than 1,000 people have been arrested by the authorities.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declared that the protests were over on Sunday.