Last weekend, several cities of Iran were the scene of one of most tense and violent riots in recent years. Rioters, armed with Kalashnikov rifles, attacked public properties, government buildings, and security forces who were trying to return peace to the cities.
As a result of what citizens described as ISIL-like actions of the rioters, tens of BRT stations, banks, and firefighting trucks and ambulances were destroyed and several security forces, including members of IRGC, Basij, and Police, were martyred.
The violence which under the influence of by hostile remarks made by the US President Donald Trump and anti-Iran groups based outside the country, geared up first on Thursday night, exploiting the peaceful protests which were initially formed to outcry economic hardships. On Friday night, riots continued in different cities, but much more limited.
After the incidents of Thursday and Friday, Iranian officials, who had acknowledged the legitimacy of the initial peaceful protests, 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.
High-ranking officials, including the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani, and security and military bodies including the Army and the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) strongly warned that there would be no compromise in confronting armed rioters and terrorists.
As of Saturday, at least 200 leaders and members of armed groups were arrested and a significant amount of weapons were seized from them. In addition, several people were detained on charges of cooperating with the Israeli regime, including a foreign individual who had entered Iran by the order of the Israeli regime to carry put espionage missions.
On Saturday night, despite calls from hostile anti-Iran groups, Iranian cities were calm and only sporadic gatherings were reported in several regions.
The video below shows the neighborhoods of the capital city of Tehran on Saturday night;
The Iranian people are set to take part nationwide rallies on Monday afternoon to condemn the US-Israeli instigated riots.
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.
MNA
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