Iran blames US-led foreign elements for inciting protests

TEHRAN: Tehran on Sunday accused foreign elements, led by the US, to have played a role in fanning the recent riots in Iran.

At a special session of the Majlis (parliament), Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli briefed lawmakers on the recent unrests in the country while Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi gave a report on their roots and causes, Iranian lawmaker Jalal Mirzaei told the official IRNA news agency.

"It was emphasized that foreign elements, and in particular the US, played a basic role in forming and manipulating the recent unrests," Mirzaei was quoted as saying.

Over the past week, protests erupted in a number of Iranian cities against the government's economic policies.

At least 20 people, including civilians and policemen, were killed and dozens of others were injured during violent clashes between the protesters and security forces, according to unofficial reports.

On Tuesday, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said that certain countries were waging a "proxy war" against the Islamic republic via social media and the internet.

The US, Britain and Saudi Arabia were behind the recent riots in Iran, he said, adding that the social media campaigns in Iran were all guided by these countries.

"Based on our analyses, around 27 percent of the new hashtags against Iran are generated by the Saudi government," the official said.