“People understood that that the purpose of that sedition was to Syrianize Iran,” and hence people ‘quickly’ acknowledged the difference between ‘protest’ and ‘turbulence’ which resulted in wrapping up the issue in 48 hours, Jalali said.
He made the remarks while addressing a session held in Tehran to study different aspects of the unrest that erupted in the country after the administration increased the gasoline price in mid-November.
Jalali pointed to the role of foreign-controlled social media in the recent incidents, criticizing the populist approach of some officials who support continuation of using these media in the country.
He said that cutting the internet acted like ‘water on fire’ and proved that the unrest was being organized by these social media.
The Iranian government raised gasoline prices last month in order to moderate the national consumption rate, which stands at 110 million liters per day, 40 million liters per day above the maximum domestic requirement.
The move prompted some peaceful protests, but riotous elements, taking advantage of the situation, quickly entered the scene, destroying public property, setting ablaze banks and gas stations among other facilities, and opening fire on people and security forces.
Shortly after the riots broke out, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei tasked the Supreme National Security Council with compiling a report detailing the reasons behind the riots and immediate attending of the families of the victims.
Iran's Judiciary has said a number of those elements were tied to the notorious US-backed Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) terror group, royalists as well as separatists — who were nabbed in the country’s border provinces — besides members of organized groups trained towards staging acts of sabotage.
Iran has arrested over 100 ringleaders and masterminds of the violent attacks.
MNA/ 4810376
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