Iran on Wednesday angrily accused the United States at the United Nations of meddling in its domestic affairs after President Donald Trump backed anti-government protests.
Iran’s UN Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo said in a letter that the US government “has stepped up its acts of intervention in a grotesque way in Iran’s internal affairs under the pretext of providing support for sporadic protests, which in several instances were hijacked by infiltrators.”
Khoshroo charged that the United States had violated international law and the principles of the UN charter, and urged countries to condemn Washington’s statements
“The president and vice president of the United States, in their numerous absurd tweets, incited Iranians to engage in disruptive acts,” said Khoshroo in the letter to the Security Council and to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“The US Department of State went so far as admitting that the US government wants to encourage protesters in Iran to change their government, admitting that the US is engaged in interfering with the internal affairs of Iran through Facebook and Twitter,” he added.
The letter was released after Trump pledged to help Iranians “take back” their government and the White House weighed sanctions against those involved in the crackdown against demonstrators.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley said Tuesday she would be seeking an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss the violence that has left 21 dead.
But diplomats said Wednesday that no such meeting was scheduled for the time being.
Russia and China are among the countries that are expected to oppose Security Council action on Iran, diplomats said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier deplored the loss of life during the anti-government protests and said “further violence must be avoided.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards chief announced the “end of the sedition” Wednesday as tens of thousands rallied in a show of strength for the country’s Islamic rulers after days of deadly unrest.
General Mohammad Ali Jafari said the Guards only intervened “in a limited way” against fewer than 15,000 “trouble-makers” nationwide, adding that a large number had been arrested.
Protests over economic problems broke out in Iran’s second city Mashhad on December 28 and quickly spread across the country, turning against the regime as a whole.
A total of 21 people have died in the unrest, with protesters attacking government buildings and police stations in some areas.
“Today we can announce the end of the sedition,” Jafari said, quoted on the Guards’ website.
“A large number of the trouble-makers at the center of the sedition, who received training from counter-revolutionaries… have been arrested and there will be firm action against them,” he said.
Jafari spoke after thousands of pro-regime demonstrators took to the streets.
Chants of “Leader, we are ready” were heard as images showed thousands rallying in the cities of Qom, Ahvaz, Kermanshah and elsewhere.
The demonstrators waved Iranian flags and pictures of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as placards saying “Death to seditionists”.
AFP journalists reported a heavy police presence was still on the streets of Tehran, along with a large number of Revolutionary Guards.
General Jafari added those behind the protests had “intervened massively on social media” but that “once restrictions were started, the troubles reduced.”
There were few reports of anti-regime protests overnight, although it remained difficult to verify information from the provinces.
President Hassan Rouhani expressed hope in a phone call with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the protests would end in a few days, a Turkish presidential source said.
The political establishment has closed ranks against the unrest, saying the protests were part of a foreign plot to destabilize the regime.
“The enemy is always looking for an opportunity and any crevice to infiltrate and strike the Iranian nation,” Khamenei said on Tuesday.
0 comments:
Post a Comment