US, Saudis Seeking to Misuse Iran Civil Protests: Ex-Envoy

In an interview with Tasnim on Saturday, Hamid Reza Asefi said the vigilant Iranian nation will not allow the Saudi and American regimes to exploit the freedom of speech or the civil protests in Iran.

“The Saudi government and the US intend to turn the economic demands of (Iranian) people into tensions and turmoil and take political advantages from the situation,” Asefi added.

Describing the protests against economic woes in Iran as an “intra-family issue”, the former diplomat said the Iranian people and government would never allow the outsiders to interfere in the domestic affairs.

He also described the recent protest rallies in some Iranian cities as a testimony to freedom of expression in Iran, saying even certain opposition news media have confirmed that the protests have been held against the economic problems.

It came after some protest rallies in some of the Iranian cities over the high costs of living and economic issues.

Following the peaceful civil rallies, the Western media outlets tried to portray the protests as a political uprising against the Establishment.

Iranian officials maintain that people have the right to stage protests to express their opinions, as long as the rallies comply with the legal conditions.

The American and Zionist news media’s focus on the civil protests comes against a backdrop of nationwide demonstrations in Iran in commemoration of a huge rally back in 2009 in which the nation reaffirmed allegiance to the Islamic Republic Establishment and ended months of turmoil, including sacrilegious riots, following that year’s presidential election.

On Saturday morning, people from different walks of life attended rallies in different cities to mark what has become known as “Dey 9” epic.