Key Points
- Ayatollah Ali Khamenei make first public remarks since nationwide protests erupted over economic conditions.
- Khamenei says sharp and uncontrolled rise in foreign currency prices is “not natural” and has created uncertainty for businesses.
- He blames foreign interference and “enemy agents” for exploiting the unrest.
- Iranian authorities sat at least 10 people have died amid ongoing protests linked to economic hardship.
- US President Donald Trump warns Iran against using lethal force on protesters, saying Washington could intervene.
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledges public dissatisfaction
TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said protestors’ grievances were justified but blamed foreign interference for recent currency instability, in his first remarks since protests erupted across the country.
Addressing a gathering in Tehran, he said merchants and shopkeepers were among “the most loyal segments of the country to the Islamic system,” noting that they had led much of the recent unrest and that their concerns over the repeated fluctuations of the rial were legitimate.
“When a bazaar merchant looks at the country’s monetary situation, the decline in the value of the national currency and the instability of currency prices, domestic and foreign, which causes the business environment to lack stability, he said, ‘I can’t do business.’ He is telling the truth,” Khamenei said, expressing support for the merchants.
He added that the government officials are “seeking to remedy the problem,” while inferring that there is also a “hand of the enemy” behind the recent developments.
Khamenei said the sharp and uncontrolled rise in foreign currency prices, and the resulting instability that has left shopkeepers uncertain about their future, was “not natural.”
“This is the work of the enemy. Of course, it must be stopped. With various measures, both the president and the heads of the other branches, as well as other officials, are trying to set things right. Therefore, the bazaaris’ protest was about this issue is a valid one,” Khamenei said.
“What is important is that a group of provoked, mercenary agents of the enemy stand behind the bazaaris and chant slogans against Islam, against Iran, and against the Islamic Republic.”
He said protests are justified, but emphasized that they are “different from rioting,” and that officials must talk with protesters, not with rioters.
The Iranian leader said some individuals, acting with the intent to make the country insecure, “exploit the protests of merchants and create unrest,” describing such actions as “unacceptable.”
“One must recognize the enemy’s actions; the enemy does not sit idle and exploits every opportunity. Here, they saw an opportunity and wanted to take advantage of it,” he stated.
Continued protests across Iran over the country’s worsening economic situation have left at least 10 people dead, authorities said Saturday.
US President Donald Trump has warned Iran not to use lethal force against protesters, saying the United States would intervene if Iranian authorities violently suppress demonstrations that have erupted across the country over worsening economic conditions.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has also acknowledged widespread dissatisfaction, saying the government bears responsibility for the country’s economic crisis and cautioning officials against blaming external actors, including the United States.
