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Hussein Salami
Photo: Rouzbeh Fouladi / dpa
The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has once again blamed the West for the system-critical protests in the country.
Iran's enemies are preparing for war, Hussein Salami said during a speech in the city of Qom on Thursday.
“All the satans of the world have gathered.
America, England, Germany, France, Israel, the Saudis and more.” It was the first time a senior IRGC member had publicly referred to Germany as “Satan”.
Salami continued to warn of an internal conflict in the country.
However, observers see the words as an attempt to distract from the causes of the nationwide protests.
The commander was recently sanctioned by the EU for Iranian arms deliveries to Russia for the war in Ukraine.
At least 18 more people were killed in one day in Iran during nationwide protests:
According to human rights organizations, at least five demonstrators were killed by security forces in the northwest on Wednesday.
Both in the city of Bukan in the province of West Azerbaijan and in Sanandash, the capital of the province of Kurdistan, security forces used live ammunition against protesters.
In the central metropolis of Isfahan, unknown persons are said to have killed three members of the Basij militias, state media reported.
However, according to eyewitnesses, the majority of the protests in the city were peaceful.
In the southwest in the city of Iseh, unknown persons shot at a crowd with assault rifles.
The state news agency IRNA spoke of a "terrorist attack".
Activists had called for three-day demonstrations and strikes to commemorate the "bloody November" of 2019, when security forces violently crushed protests.
Hundreds of demonstrators are said to have been killed three years ago.
According to estimates by human rights activists, at least 360 people have been killed in the course of the protests so far.
The US-based organization Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that 56 minors and 46 security forces were among the dead.
Around 16,000 people were also arrested.
The protests have covered more than 140 cities since they began.
The latest wave of protests against the Islamic Republic's authoritarian policies was triggered by the death of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini.
She died in police custody on September 16 after being arrested for breaking Islamic dress codes.
dop/dpa