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WORLD NEWSWednesday 3 January 2018
Iran protests: Supreme leader blames ‘enemies’ for meddling
By NASSER KARIMI
JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Break-
ing his silence over nation-
wide protests that included
calls for his ouster, Iran’s su- which it can infiltrate.”
preme leader on Tuesday
blamed the demonstra-
tions on “enemies of Iran,”
saying they were meddling
in its internal affairs.
The remarks by Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei on the dem-
onstrations — the largest
seen in Iran since its dis-
puted 2009 presidential
election — came after a
bloody night that saw pro-
testers try to storm a police
station and the first deaths
among its security forces.
The unrest has killed at
least 21 people in the past
six days.
The protests began Dec.
28 in Mashhad over the
weak economy and a
jump in food prices. They
have since expanded to
cities and towns in nearly
every province. Hundreds
have been arrested, and
a prominent judge warned
that some could face the
death penalty.Speaking to
black-chador-clad wom-
en who were relatives of
veterans and war dead,
the 78-year-old Khame-
nei warned of an enemy
“waiting for an opportu-
Highway crash in Italy kills 6 when tanker ignites
ROME (AP) — Italian news
reports say a fiery high-
way crash in northern Italy
has killed six people.
RAI state TV quoted fire-
fighters in Brescia as say-
ing that five of the dead,
including two children,
In this picture released by official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018.
nity, for a crack through
“Look at the recent days’
incidents,” he said. “All
those who are at odds with
the Islamic Republic have
utilized various means,
including money, weap-
ons, politics and (the) in-
telligence apparatus, to
create problems for the
Islamic system, the Islamic
Republic and the Islamic
Revolution.”
Khamenei avoided identi-
fying any foreign countries, into terrorism and into their
were in a car, and the
sixth victim was a truck
driver.
RAI said A21 highway traf-
fic had already slowed
to a crawl because of
an earlier accident Tues-
day when a truck loaded
although he promised to
elaborate in the coming
days. Undoubtedly high
on his list is the U.S., where der his predecessor. “The
President Donald Trump
has tweeted his support
for the protests for several
days.
On Tuesday, he wrote that
“the people of Iran are fi-
nally acting against the
brutal and corrupt Iranian
regime.”“All of the money
that President Obama so
foolishly gave them went
with sand struck the car
in front of it, which in turn
slammed into a tanker
truck whose flammable
liquid cargo caught fire.
Authorities didn’t immedi-
ately identify the liquid.
Firefighters were on the
tify the 2015 nuclear deal
and his travel bans have
blocked Iranians from get-
(Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP) ting U.S. visas.
Iran’s Foreign Minis-
‘pockets,’” Trump wrote, try spokesman Bahram
apparently referring to the Ghasemi urged Trump to
nuclear deal reached un- stop tweeting and focus
on his own country’s prob-
people have little food, lems. “It is better for him to
big inflation and no human try to address the U.S.’ in-
rights. The U.S. is watching!” ternal issues like the murder
It is unclear what effect of scores killed on a daily
Trump’s tweets are having basis in the United States
on the protests. Iran’s state during armed clashes and
TV reported on his tweets shootings, as well as millions
in its news broadcasts, and of the homeless and hun-
some people have shared gry people in the country,”
them online, but many in Ghasemi said, according
Iran distrust him because to the state-run IRNA news
he has refused to re-cer- agency.
The U.S. called for the U.N.
Security Council and Hu-
man Rights Council to hold
emergency meetings on
Iran, with American U.N.
Ambassador Nikki Haley
saying that “the U.N. must
speak” on the issue. She
said the U.S. will be calling
for emergency sessions in
the coming days.
“Nowhere is the urgency
of peace, security and
freedom being tested
more than in Iran,” Haley
said, adding that U.S. of-
ficials “applaud the tre-
mendous courage of the
Iranian people.”Khamenei,
who has final say over all
state matters, has blamed
foreign adversaries for do-
mestic unrest in the past. In
2009, as Green Movement
highway about 1.5 kilo- demonstrations rattled his
meters (nearly a mile) government, he said the
north of the crash site postelection unrest was
dealing with the earlier calculated by Iran’s en-
accident when the tanker emies “whether or not its
truck caught fire. leaders know.”
Thick, dark smoke was vis- But that’s not to say Iran
ible for miles.q doesn’t face foreign ad-
versaries. q