Iran president says Trump, Netanyahu, Europe stirred tensions in protests

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that U.S., Israeli, and European leaders had exploited Iran's economic problems, incited unrest, and provided people with the means to "tear the nation apart” in recent protests.

The two-week-long nationwide protests, which began in late December over an economic crisis marked by soaring inflation and rising living costs, have abated after a bloody crackdown by the clerical authorities that U.S.-based rights group HRANA says has killed at least 6,563, including 6,170 protesters and 214 security forces.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CNN Turk that 3,100, including 2,000 security forces, had been killed.

The U.S., Israeli, and European leaders tried to "provoke, create division, and supply resources, drawing some innocent people into this movement," Pezeshkian said in a live state TV broadcast.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced support for the demonstrators, saying the U.S. was prepared to take action if Iran continued to kill protesters. U.S. officials said on Friday that Trump was reviewing his options but had not decided whether to strike Iran.

Israel's Ynet news website said on Friday that a U.S. Navy destroyer had docked at the Israeli port of Eilat.

Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Europeans "rode on our problems, provoked, and were seeking — and still seek — to fragment society," said Pezeshkian.

"They brought them into the streets and wanted, as they said, to tear this country apart, to sow conflict and hatred among the people and create division," Pezeshkian said.

"Everyone knows that the issue was not just a social protest," he added.

Reuters