Iran's Khamenei blames US and UK for anti-government protests

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has blamed the US and the UK for the recent anti-government protests, adding that forces working against Tehran will never be successful.

Subsequent to his earlier cryptic accusation that the anti-regime demonstrations were stoked by "enemies," Khamenei has now spelt out who he exactly pointed out previously. In a series of tweets from the official account, he accused that all of Iran's adversaries – the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel – were involved in orchestrating the rallies.

Initially, rallies began over the failing economy and falling standards of living but gradually spiralled into a larger anti-government campaign with people demanding an end to alleged corruption in state-run institutions.

"Once again, the nation tells the US, Britain, and those who seek to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran from abroad that 'you've failed, and you will fail in the future, too'," said the supreme leader, who has the final say on all Iran matters.

"The enemy now repeatedly makes moves and they are defeated each time. It's because of the resistance, because of the strong populist and national dam," he said on Tuesday, 9 January, according to state news outlets.

He also thanked those who took part in the pro-government rallies and said: "These are not normal incidents. [These incidents] occur nowhere in the world," referring to the show of support. "It is not a matter of one or two or five years. [It is about] a battle between the nation and those hostile to the nation; a battle between Iran and those hostile to Iran; a battle between Islam and those hostile to Islam."

Khamenei's curious assertion that Britain was also part of the masterminding effort is the latest addition as top Iranian authorities had previously blamed the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia for the upheaval.

According to the theocratic nation's attorney general, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, a CIA plot for the anti-regime campaign in Iran began four years ago. The CIA was helped by the Israeli spy agency Mossad and the entire anti-Iran campaign was funded by the Saudi regime, he said.