Following enormous protests in Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed on Saturday (June 04) that a foreign ‘enemy’ aiming to destabilize the Islamic Republic is to blame. Khamenei accused them of piracy for taking two Greek ships after the US took Iranian oil from a tanker, saying opponents were waging a ‘psychological war’ against Iran.
‘Who is the pirate here?’ he asks. ‘You snatched our oil. We returned it to you. Returning a stolen item is not stealing.’ Referring to last month’s week-long protests in southern Iran over the collapse of a building that killed 37 people, Khamenei stated, ‘Today, public uprisings are the enemies’ most significant hope for delivering a blow against the country’. During a televised address commemorating the 33rd anniversary of the death of Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, he stated that ‘the adversaries’ assessment is as erroneous as many preceding ones’.
Khamenei reiterated his call for the prosecution of those involved in the collapse of the 10-story Metropol tower block in Abadan, alleging that the US is attempting to destabilize the Islamic republic through demonstrations. Iran citizens have reported interrupted internet access in an apparent attempt to discourage the use of social media to coordinate demonstrations and circulate films.
Iran, which has been reeling from the impact of US sanctions since 2018, has seen waves of protests over living circumstances in recent years. Protests over growing living costs and corruption have taken place in various Iranian towns, exacerbated by rising global prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
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