TEHRAN — Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has condemned the “chaos” sparked by a wave of foreign-backed riots and vandalism over the death of a young woman after a sudden collapse at a police station.
“Those who took part in the riots must be dealt with decisively, this is the demand of the people,” said Raisi in a televised interview.
“People’s safety is the red line of the Islamic Republic of Iran and no one is allowed to break the law and cause chaos,” he said.
“The enemy has targeted national unity and wants to pit people against each other,” added the president, stating that the United States is stoking the unrest.
Amini, a 22-year-old woman, died on September 16, three days after she suddenly collapsed at a police station and taken to hospital.
Raisi said the nation had felt “grief and sorrow” over her death, and that forensics and judiciary experts would soon present a final report, but also warned that “protests are different to riots.”
Raisi also said a “good and fair” deal to salvage the 2015 nuclear agreement is within reach if the other side provides strong guarantees that it will not violate the agreement again.
Asked about the stalemate over the revival of the 2015 deal, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Raisi said he made it clear during this trip that Tehran needs strong guarantees that it can reap the economic benefits from the deal and the other party will not unilaterally withdraw from it again.
President Raisi also said the safeguards issue should be terminated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), calling on the UN nuclear agency to stop politicizing the Iranian nuclear program and avoid coming under the influence of the occupying regime of Israel.
He further stressed that all sanctions imposed on Iran by the former U.S. administration need to be removed.