In recent days, Iran has been the scene of both peaceful protests and violent riots. The protests and public gatherings which were formed in different provinces primarily in response to economic challenges faced by segments of society, turned violent on the weekend, with armed rioters attacking public properties and government buildings in several parts of the country.
The violence geared up first on Thursday night, when rioters, influenced by hostile remarks of the US President Donald Trump and anti-Iran groups based outside the country, exploited the peaceful protests to pour into the streets and cause disturbance to the public.
Several banks, mosques, firefighting trucks, ambulances, and BRT stations. Some several civilian shops and vehicles were also damaged during the armed riots on Thursday and Friday night.
During the confrontations with armed terrorists and rioters on Thursday and Friday, several Iranian security forces, including members of IRGC, Basij, and Police, were martyred.
Many local people have described the riots and sabotage acts as being carried out in a ISIL-style manner, reflecting the extremist tactics being employed by the armed rioters.
The riots on Thursday night were much more tense and violent compared to Friday night.
Iranian officials, who had acknowledged the legitimacy of the initial peaceful protests, stressed after Thursday and Friday incidents that they consider protesters apart from rioters. They set a clear distinction between lawful protesters and individuals who seek to exploit public grievances for disruptive or violent purposes. Government and military officials and security bodies of the Islamic Republic of Iran issued public statements, reaffirming their resolve to confront the armed rioters and defend the security of the nation.
In a meeting with the people of Qom on Thursday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei emphasized that the Islamic Republic would in no way compromise on confronting the mercenaries who act in the interest of foreigners.
On Friday, Ali Larijani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), warned the armed terrorists and said that security forces and the judiciary were prepared to respond “in the strongest manner” to foreign-linked individuals involved in armed violence.
In a statement on Saturday, the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran stressed that along with other branches of the country's Armed Forces, it would spare no effort in safeguarding Iran's national interests, monitoring the enemies' moves, and confronting conspiracies.
Since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, foreign actors constantly sought to cause insecurity and disturbance inside Iran to regain the dominance they lost after 1979. However, all of their efforts failed thanks to the vigilance of the Iranian nation and the country's security forces.
As of Saturday afternoon, the situation is completely calm in Iranian cities and people are busy living their normal lives.
MNA
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