Khamenei says recent 'riots' failed to weaken Iran as protests continue

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says that the West has used propaganda to weaken Iran during the latest protests.
Protesters take part in a rally against the Iranian regime, marking the third anniversary of the downing of Ukrainian passenger jet, flight PS752, by Iranian forces shortly after its takeoff from Tehran and to pay tribute to Mohammad Moradi, an Iranian student who committed suicide by drowning himself in the Rhone River in December 2022 to draw attention to the situation in Iran, Lyon, France, Jan. 8, 2023.
Protesters take part in a rally against the Iranian regime, marking the third anniversary of the downing of Ukrainian passenger jet, flight PS752, by Iranian forces shortly after its takeoff from Tehran and to pay tribute to Mohammad Moradi, an Iranian student who committed suicide by drowning himself in the Rhone River in December 2022 to draw attention to the situation in Iran, Lyon, France, Jan.8, 2023. - Jean-Philippe Ksiazek/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

During a speech in the religious city of Qom on Monday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei doubled down on his country’s response to protests over the last four months.

Speaking on the anniversary of the protests against the Shah of Iran in 1978 that ushered in the Islamic Revolution, Khamenei accused the United States of fomenting chaos in Iran 40 years later. It “tried any tool, especially propaganda, to reach their goal” of "overthrowing the Islamic Republic."

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