"Imaginary".. Washington comments on Iran's accusations of fueling protests

SadaNews - Washington described, late on Friday, the accusations made by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of fueling the expanding protest movement in Iran as "imaginary".

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department stated in a statement, in response to remarks made by Araghchi during a visit to Lebanon, "This statement reflects a fictional attempt to divert attention from the serious challenges faced by the Iranian regime internally."

On Friday evening, Iran witnessed new protests against the government, particularly in Tehran, where demonstrators marched along several major streets, as shown in scenes and photos on social media, despite nationwide internet outages.

On the thirteenth day of a protest movement gaining increasing momentum, protesters in the Saadat Abad area of northwestern Tehran were banging pots and chanting anti-authority slogans.

Several cars gathered at the location, honking their horns in sync with the protesters' chants.

Other clips showed demonstrations in various places across Tehran. Persian-language television channels based outside Iran broadcasted videos of a large number of protesters in Mashhad (east), Tabriz (north), and Qom (central).

Meanwhile, the internet-monitoring organization "NetBlocks" reported that Iranian authorities are still "blocking internet access across the country" for 24 hours in violation of Iranians' rights and "to cover up the regime's violence."

The organization "Iran Human Rights", based in Norway, reported on Friday that at least 51 protesters have been killed, including nine children, and hundreds have been injured across Iran since the protests began on December 28.

Iranian television on Friday showcased damages to buildings and properties, claiming they were the result of vandalism.

It quoted the mayor of Tehran as saying that more than 42 buses, public vehicles, and ambulances were set on fire, in addition to 10 official buildings.

According to the judiciary, a prosecutor was killed in the city of Esfarain (east), along with several security forces, during protests on Thursday night.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States and Israel of interfering in the protest movement, while simultaneously ruling out the possibility of foreign military intervention.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday stated that "Iran is in big trouble," adding, "It seems to me that the people are taking control of certain cities, which no one thought was possible just a few weeks ago."

Trump had again threatened on Thursday to "hit Iran very hard" if authorities proceeded to kill protesters.

These protests are reported to be the largest in Iran since the protests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 during her detention for violating strict dress codes.

These protests come at a time when Iran has not yet recovered from the consequences of a war with Israel in June that lasted for 12 days and specifically targeted its nuclear facilities, following strikes received by its regional allies, led by Hezbollah, and after the United Nations reinstated sanctions against it in response to its non-compliance with restrictions on its nuclear program in September.

Both French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, along with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, condemned the "killing of protesters" in Iran in a joint statement.