TEHRAN- Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has stated that the United States and the United Kingdom were "directly" involved in the recent unrest in certain cities in the country.

In a statement released on Friday, the ministry said that during the recent disturbances, dozens of terrorists connected to the Zionist regime and anti-revolutionary organizations had been apprehended.

The ministry emphasized the conditions that led to the foreign-backed riots following the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, protests turned violent in the country, security personnel were assaulted, police cars, ambulances, and other public property were smashed.

The Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO), an anti-Iranian terrorist group that its operatives are mostly based in Albania, as well as persons affiliated with other anti-revolution terror groups were cited by the Intelligence Ministry as the main forces behind the violence.

The statement said in recent days security forces, who are preserving law and order, had to deal with a variety of cult-like organizations, agents of foreign spy agencies, fooled agents of rioters on the streets as well as direct involvement of the American and British governments and their Saudi allies.

The Iranian Intelligence Ministry highlighted the fact that 49 MKO terrorists have been detained for actively disseminating false information, inciting protestors to carry out terror and sabotage acts, directing slogans, and being present in the streets to cause damage to public property.

The ministry reported that 77 mercenaries, including those aligned with groups trained by the Zionist regime such as Komala Party of Kurdistan, Kurdistan Democratic Party, PAK (Parti Azadi Kurdistan) and PJAK (Kurdistan Free Life Party) have also been detained on the two sides of Iran’s western borders. It added one of the detainees is a leading member of the Kurdistan grouplets that are stationed in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (KRG).

He had received training in the American-Zionist military bases in the KRG and was considered a leading militant, the ministry said. It added he was detained in a secret operation and is now in prison. 

Also, five members of a group aligned to terrorist and Takfiri groups were nabbed together with 36 kg of explosives that were intended to be blasted in public gatherings and at scenes of protests, according to the statement.

The ministry added 92 individuals connected to the old U.S.-supported Pahlavi regime had been found and detained during the unrest. 

In addition, nine nationals from countries like Germany, Poland, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Sweden… were arrested during the unrest.

According to the Iranian Intelligence Ministry, several handguns, different kinds of machine guns, cartridges, shotguns, and ammo were also confiscated.

The Tehran Times has learned that four European countries and an Asian one have been involved in inciting riots and protests. According to information received by the Tehran Times, Germany has been at the center of the European efforts to fan the flames of the protests. And the German embassy in Tehran has served as a coordinating center for the other European embassies in Tehran involved in these efforts. This entirely matches with the data released by the intelligence ministry in its statement.

According to the statement, necessary warnings have been given to the German embassy.

Meanwhile, the Tehran Times has learned that the German embassy established contacts with some public intellectuals and scoundrels as well as members of the Amini family. 

According to information received by the Tehran Times, the German embassy contacted the Amini family and encouraged them to speak out against the police and reach out to foreign media outlets to keep the death of Mahsa Amini in the news. 

In addition to Germany, a number of Dutch nationals have been involved in Iran’s unrest and some of them have even been arrested, the Tehran Times has learned. These nationals played an “active role” in the unrest, according to the information received by the Tehran Times.