Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei Says People Trying To Uproot Iran’s Regime Are ‘Wrong’
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Salma Hossein
- . October 15, 2022
- . Update: November 11, 2022 12:57 am
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that enemies of Iran will fail to destroy its foundations as protesters continued to call for the downfall of cleric rulers and the government despite a violent crackdown.
While addressing audiences in Imam Khomeini congregation hall in Tehran, he said, “The enemies thought they could uproot the tree of Iran. That small tree has now turned into a massive tree. Anyone who even thinks about uprooting this tree is completely wrong.”
Iranian officials have repeatedly said that the protests are a purported Western plot. Earlier, Iran also accused the United States of causing unrest in the country. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi again blamed the United States on Thursday.
Protests erupted in various cities in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman. She died on September 16. Anger flared at her funeral ceremony in her hometown in Saqqez on September 17. The demonstrations became the biggest wave of protests to rock Iran in almost three years. Many people stood against the Iranian security forces, demanding justice for Amini.
Read | Over 100 Protestors Charged Over Anti-Hijab Protests In Iran: Report
On 13 September, Amini, originally from the city of Saqqez in Kurdistan Province, in western Iran, was travelling to Tehran, the capital of Iran, to visit her relatives. She was arrested by the Iranian morality police and transferred to the ‘Moral Security’ agency, allegedly for wearing a loose Hijab. They took her to the detention centre to educate her about Hijab. Human rights activists said that the morality police beat her in the detention centre. Amini’s family said that her body showed bruises and other signs of beating.
However, Iran’s government said that Amini was not mistreated at the detention centre. Tehran Police commander, Hossein Rahimi, said that Amini’s death was an “unfortunate accident” as she suffered a heart attack.
