 "IIIIIIIIIIII‘Iran Will Not Back Down’: Khamenei Warns Protesters, Foreign Backers")
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that the Islamic Republic would not back down in the face of protests and would not tolerate what he described as work on behalf of foreign powers, according to remarks aired on state television.
“Everyone should know that the Islamic Republic will not retreat," he said. “It will not tolerate serving foreigners."
Khamenei added that anyone who worked for outside forces would be rejected by both the people and the Islamic system, state TV reported.
The Supreme Leader’s comments came after an internet blackout was reported in Iran on Thursday and extended into Friday, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said. It coincided with calls for more protests from Reza Pahlavi, the long-exiled son of Iran’s last shah, who was toppled in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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Earlier in the day, Khamenei blasted protesters in a speech, saying that the protesters are “ruining their own streets to make the President of another country happy," referring to US President Donald Trump.
Iranian protesters shouted and marched through the streets on Friday morning after a call by the country’s exiled crown prince for demonstrations, despite Iran’s theocracy cutting off the nation from the internet and international telephone calls.
Short online videos shared by activists purported to show protesters chanting against Iran’s government around bonfires as debris littered the streets in the capital, Tehran, and other areas.
Iranian state media broke its silence on Friday over the protests, alleging “terrorist agents" of the US and Israel set fires and sparked violence.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has reported at least 34 protesters and four security personnel killed, and 2,200 arrested during the unrest, which analysts say highlights deeper disillusionment with the status quo.
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