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Brendan Cole
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Iran’s authorities have blamed U.S. interference for the escalation in anti-government protests which were initially prompted by an ailing economy in the sanctions-hit Islamic Republic.
Iranian state media alleged that "terrorist agents" of the U.S. and Israel were behind the growing unrest across the country as videos on social media showed bonfires being lit and activists chanting against Iran’s government in the capital, Tehran, and other areas.
Iran’s government has shut down the internet and telephone calls from abroad, raising fears of further violence by the ruling regime against demonstrators.
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Hamidreza Azizi, an Iran analyst, told Newsweek on Friday that although the government has been blaming outside powers, the widespread nature of the protests will make it "quite difficult for the government to sustain its narrative of foreign intervention."
Newsweek has contacted the Iranian Foreign Ministry for comment.
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Why It Matters
Demonstrations that started on December 28 against the collapse of the nation's rial currency, and high inflation have intensified into the biggest challenge for Iran’s clerical regime in years.
Iranian authorities had initially refrained from violence as they accepted responsibility for economic woes and called for dialogue. But video has shown an ever more brutal crackdown which is significant given President Donald Trump reiterated a warning of U.S. intervention if the regime in Tehran backed violence against demonstrators.
What To Know
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei signaled that his security forces would crack down on the unrest in what appears to be a direct challenge to Trump’s pledge to support peaceful demonstrators.
Khamenei said Friday that Trump’s hands were "stained with the blood of Iranians" as Iranian state media showed images of supporters shouting, "death to America!"
Tehran-controlled outlets alleged that "terrorist agents" of the U.S. and Israel were driving the violence. The Iranian regime has always railed against the U.S. since it came to power in 1979, calling it the Great Satan.
Azizi, from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs told Newsweek, that although the government has been blaming outside powers—especially the United States and Israel—for instigating unrest in different cities, it is having a very hard time making that argument regarding Thursday’s overnight protests.
This unrest has seen people from all walks of life and political views take to the streets and in protests that are so widespread, it would be difficult for the government to maintain that they were driven by foreign intervention, he said.
This was likely one of the main reasons—along with the sheer scale of the protests—that the government resorted to its old playbook of completely shutting down the internet and trying to cut off communication between people, Azizi added.
When it comes to outside forces and the government’s actual concerns, he said there was a distinction between blaming Israeli and American agents for instigating the protests—and the more genuine fears the authorities have about foreign powers exploiting developments on the ground to strike Iran.
The protests are unfolding months after Israel staged a 12-day war against Iran and at a time when another military confrontation between Iran and Israel looms.
"The Trump administration had also been threatening to take action, or to support Israeli action, against Iran," said Azizi, "in this context, there is a real concern in Tehran that domestic unrest could facilitate a foreign attack."
Trump reiterated a warning he issued last week that the U.S. could intervene if there was a violent crackdown on Iranian protesters, telling Fox News "they started shooting the hell out of [protesters]…and I said if they do that, we're going to hit them very hard."
What People Are Saying
Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei said punishment against protesters: "will be decisive, maximum and without any legal leniency."
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Friday protesters are "ruining their own streets…to please the president of the United States…because he said that he would come to their aid. He should pay attention to the state of his own country instead."
President Donald Trump, per Fox News said if the Iranian government uses violence: "We are going to hit them very hard, we are ready to do that…I have put Iran on notice."
Hamidreza Azizi, visiting fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told Newsweek: "Although the government has been blaming outside powers—especially the United States and Israel—for instigating unrest in different cities, I think it is having a very hard time making that argument with regard to last night’s protests."
What Happens Next
The full scope of the demonstrations is unclear given the communications blackout but the protests are scheduled to continue in the coming days.
Among the chants heard by protesters was a call for the return of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled opposition leader who is the son of the last Shah of Iran. Pahlavi has called for European leaders to join Trump holding the regime to account. Meanwhile, Trump also said that Khamenei may be looking to leave Iran although this has not been independently confirmed.
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