Tehran and Washington are set to clash again over the mass unrest that erupted after a Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, died in the custody of morality police last month. Ultra-conservatives in Iran believe she was involved in immoral activities and she has been accused of posting on online dating websites.
The US and Albania, another major critic of Iranian government, will hold an informal UNSC gathering today, as first reported by Reuters.
Representatives of the Iranian people, Shirin Ebadi and Nazanin Boniadi, will speak at the meeting. The Iranian state has labeled both as anti-establishment figures. Other UN member states and rights groups can also attend this meeting.
The Associated Press reported that the event would highlight the ongoing oppression faced by women, religious and ethnic minorities in Iran. However, Tehran gave a different account.
Recently, IRNA reported that the Iranian government is blaming America for the protests. They based their argument on a rare joint report from Iran’s intelligence ministry and the Revolutionary Guard Corps’ intelligence division.
Attempting to refute the points put forth by Iran’s intelligence community, the US is showing support of human rights with a select few while ignoring some.
The Iranian mission to the UN had the same sentiment, a statement claiming that America is the “prime suspect of the riots” in Iran.
“The US and its allies have consistently taken advantage of such a platform (the UN) to advance their political agendas.” It accused the US of double standards in supporting Iranians.
Women and ethnic minority groups have been present in the protests. Cautioning against protests, the commander of the IRGC said, “Do not come to the streets! Today is the last day of the riots.”
The unrest in Iran started as a protest against the weak economy and falling currency. The campaign ran for six days before it was broken up by security officials. Many people, who believe President Donald Trump is to blame for their economic woes, have been arrested or killed.
On Friday, an UN spokesman voiced concern about the situation in Iran and urged the country’s authorities to address the “legitimate grievances of the population” while speaking out against incidents that have resulted in injury or death.
The report is the first public acknowledgement that Amini had worked with Iranian journalists who were part of an “infiltration course” run by the US mafia regime. Those journalists first manufactured news for Iranian media, which was then picked up by foreign media to inflame anti-government demonstrations.
Last month, after protests broke out in Iran, two reporters were arrested by Iranian intelligence: Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi. Hamedi was among the first to report on Amini’s death at the hospital, while Mohammadi travelled to Amini’s hometown of Saqqez to report on her funeral.
The intelligence report alleges that the CIA met with Kurdish separatist groups in northern Iraq to ask them to amplify their role in Iran’s unrest. The IRGC repeatedly pounded positions in northern Iraq, which is semi-autonomous, to punish terrorist groups it accused of being based there.
