Iran president blames U.S. Israel unrest
A nationwide internet blackout was reported in Iran since January 8
Iran's President, Masoud Pezeshkian, said that "The United States and Israel are sitting there, giving instructions to these people, telling them: go ahead, we are backing you."
“If the people have concerns, it is our duty to resolve their concerns, but the higher duty is that we must not allow a group of rioters to come and disrupt the entire society,” Pezeshkian said in a televised interview
Pezeshkian emphasized that the killing of civilians “is not acceptable at all” and said the United States and Israel are training the rioters and supporting them.
Tehran threatened to retaliate against Israel and the U.S. military bases in the event of U.S. strikes on Iran, issuing the warning as Israeli sources said Israel was on high alert for the possibility of any U.S. intervention.
Authorities have stepped up efforts to quell the unrest that has spread across Iran since December 28. A U.S.-based rights group, HRANA, reported the death toll stood at 116, mostly protesters but including 37 members of the security forces.
A nationwide internet blackout was reported in Iran on January 8, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said, as protests over economic hardships continued around the country.
Witnesses in the capital Tehran and major cities of Mashhad and Isfahan said that protesters gathered again in the streets on Thursday, chanting slogans against the Islamic Republic's clerical rulers.
Footage from the Iranian city of Mashhad released showed protesters on the streets amid a wave of anti-government demonstrations sweeping across the country.
Iranian's police chief said that security forces had stepped up efforts to confront rioters on the streets.
Protests have spread across Iran since December 28, beginning in response to soaring inflation, and quickly turning political with protesters demanding an end to clerical rule.
The protests began in response to soaring inflation, before turning against the clerical establishment that has ruled since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
