Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemns rioting as 'unnatural', blames US
On Sunday, the group Iran Human Rights said that at least 92 people have been killed as Iran has cracked down on women-led protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the notorious morality police.
 )
FollowIranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday said that the protests over the death of a woman in police custody were planned and not staged by "ordinary Iranians", in his first comments on unrest that has swept the country since September 17.
According to reports, Khamenei said the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini "deeply broke my heart", calling it a "bitter incident".
Also read: Explained: Why Iranian women are chopping off hair, burning hijab
Khamenei further described the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran's morality police, which set off the nationwide protests, as a sad incident that left us heartbroken.
However, he sharply condemned the protests as a foreign plot to destabilise Iran, echoing authorities' previous comments. This rioting was planned, he told a cadre of police students in Tehran.
"I say clearly that these riots and insecurities were designed by America and the Zionist regime, and their employees. He added of the protests: Such actions are not normal, are unnatural," Khamenei said.
Also read: 'Let women decide...' Sadhguru on anti-Hijab protests by Iranian women
His comments come as nationwide protests sparked by Amini's death entered their third week despite the government's efforts to crack down.
On Sunday, the group Iran Human Rights said that at least 92 people have been killed as Iran has cracked down on women-led protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the notorious morality police.
Kurdish Iranian Amini, 22, was pronounced dead on September 16 after she was detained for allegedly breaching rules requiring women to wear hijab headscarves and modest clothes, sparking Iran's biggest wave of popular unrest in almost three years.
Also read: UK PM Liz Truss reverses her position on 45% tax cut for wealthiest to prevent rebellion
An additional 41 people died in clashes Friday in Iran's far southeast, an area bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan, reported Oslo-based IHR citing local sources, saying the protests were sparked by accusations a police chief in the region had raped a teenage girl of the Baluch minority.
subscribe to Asianet Newsable WhatsApp channel by clicking here.For more reliable and latest news
subscribe to Asianet Newsable Telegram channel by clicking here.
