Who's behind Iran protests – CIA, Israel or Saudi Arabia? All of the above, says top prosecutor

When Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cryptically blamed "enemies" for the ongoing anti-government protests in Iran, he did not spell out who exactly he accuses and left it for others to speculate.

But, the theocratic nation's chief prosecutor has not left much for the rumour mills and blamed all three of Iran's key adversaries for the anti-regime demonstrations and rallies.

According to Attorney-General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, a CIA plot for the anti-regime campaign in Iran began four years ago. While accusing the American intelligence agency of being the primary mastermind behind the protests, he also pointed fingers at Israel and Saudi Arabia for their roles.

Anti-government protests have been raging in Iran for more than a week – a situation the theocratic nation has not witnessed in nearly a decade. At least 22 people have been killed so far in the protests, which show no sign of dying down in the coming days despite sharp warnings from the regime.

Montazeri said Michael Andrea, a CIA operative, was the main force behind the anti-Iran plot, dubbed as 'Consequential Convergence Doctrine'. He alleges Andrea was helped by a spy from Israel's Mossad agency, and that Riyadh has financially funded the entire campaign. However, he did not offer evidence to substantiate the claims.

Montazeri added that the combined forces originally planned to fuel the unrest later in 2018 but fomented the campaign ahead of the original schedule since the circumstances were ripe at the moment.

Washington has repeatedly denied any role in the protests and the CIA refused to comment on any of these allegations.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the deaths to date and the arrests of at least 1,000 Iranians," the US Department of State spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters. "We have ample authorities to hold accountable those who commit violence against protesters, contribute to censorship, or steal from the people of Iran. To the regime's victims, we say: You will not be forgotten."

Iran's army chief has also said they military forces stand ready to take part in dispersing the demonstrations if the police forces seek more help.