President Ebrahim Raeisi has lauded the resistance and patience of the Iranian people during the recent nationwide riots, which came after the death of a young woman in a police station, saying enemies bear grudges against the Iranian nation for the stunning progress it has managed to make in various fields.
"Iran's enemies were seeking to cause trouble for the country in the recent riots, but as in the past, the [Iranian] people have routed them with patience and resistance," Raeisi said in a meeting between Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and Iranian officials and guests attending the 36th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran on Friday.
He pointed to Iran's scientific progress, economic growth, curbed inflation, and enhanced commercial and international cooperation, and commended the Iranian people's sincere cooperation with the administration, especially in the implementation of economic reforms.
The Iranian president warned of plots by ill-wishers of the Muslim world to conceal realities and promote "modern ignorance" and called for efforts to increase awareness based on Islamic unity and avoiding division.
Protests over the death of the Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, erupted first in her native province of Kordestan and later in several cities, including the capital Tehran. Amini fainted at a police station and was pronounced dead days later on September 16 at a Tehran hospital.
Although Raeisi immediately ordered a thorough investigation into the case, the protests soon turned violent, with rioters fatally attacking policemen and indulging in vandalism against public property in several cities.
The foreign-backed violent riots have also claimed dozens of lives from both security forces and ordinary people as the Western media and Persian-language news networks continue to provoke riots in Iran.
In a meeting with members of the Expediency Council on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei said the recent scattered riots in several Iranian cities have been devised by enemies as a “clumsy,” “foolish” and “passive” reaction to the Iranian nation’s great moves and innovative progress.
"The Iranian nation made great moves in a short period of time, which were 180 degrees opposite to the global arrogance’s policies, and they were forced to react,” the Leader said, referring to the United States and other Western powers.