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Unrest in Tehran cooked up to weaken national unity — Iranian army

According to the statement, "the Iranian army is ready to repel these treacherous plans which threaten domestic stability"

MOSCOW, September 23. /TASS/. The Iranian armed forces are ready to protect the Islamic Republic and ensure peace and security in the country, the Beirut-based television channel Al Mayadeen reported on Friday, citing a warning by the Iranian army command amid week-long street protests.

"The unrest in Tehran and other cities was prompted by enemies of the nation in order to weaken national unity and rock the foundations of the Islamic regime", the army command said in a statement that condemned the attacks by protestors against police officers and "the desecration of state symbols and the Holy Qu’ran." According to the statement, "the Iranian army is ready to repel these treacherous plans which threaten domestic stability."

Mass demonstrations under the slogans "Death to the United States!", "Death to England!", and "Khamenei (Iran's supreme leader - TASS), order to start jihad!" began Friday in the Iranian capital Tehran. According to the IRNA news agency, many people marched in protest against the riots, expressing their disagreement with the actions of the organizers of the anti-social actions and the rioters themselves.

Earlier, Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani reported on the aftermath of protests in the capital, where he said 43 vehicles and 23 fire engines, used for dispersing crowds, had been damaged.

According to Press TV, millions of people have been protesting nationwide. As of Friday, 36 protestors have been killed, Dubai’s Al Hadath television said, while official reports said there were 26 deaths.

The protests began on September 17 after the funeral of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian girl, who, according to official sources, had been arrested by the police for disobeying hijab rules. She later died of a heart attack. A CCTV video showed the young lady collapsing during a dispute with police officers. However, social media reports claimed she had been brutally beaten by policemen.

At a news conference in New York City, where the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly opened earlier this week, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi pledged to conduct a thorough probe into the incident and suggested waiting for its results. "The protection of human rights is a fundamental value of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Raisi said.