TEHRAN — Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Sunday warned the Israeli regime’s officials that they cannot hide behind Daesh forever.

Qalibaf began his remarks by offering his condolences to the families of the martyrs of the Wednesday terrorist attack in Shiraz claimed by Daesh.

“I appreciate and thank the unique presence of the people of Fars province in the funeral ceremony of the martyrs,” Qalibaf told an open session of the parliament.

Qalibaf then went on to note that as the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said decisive and wise action is necessary regarding the cause of these disasters.

God willing, people will witness the Islamic Republic's decisive actions against these crimes, she speaker asserted.

Qalibaf emphasized the Israeli regime and the reactionary countries in the region should know that they cannot “hide behind the mask of Daesh” or the London-based networks and must be held responsible for the bloodshed in Iran.

“This crime proved that the enemies of our beloved Iran are lurking in order to disturb the security of the country, disrupt the daily life of the people, create wars and conflicts in the cities, and also divide the country and are looking for opportunities,” the top legislator warned.

Qalibaf added that these crimes proved that the enemy has decided to undermine national security.

“Today, influential intellectual activists must clearly separate their paths from the violent persons and criminals,” he stressed.

Of course, the terrorist acts of Iran's enemies should not be used as an excuse to ignore the protests of the people who seek reforms, he noted.

But it should be kept in mind that if political groups and cultural and social figures had played their role in preventing the protests from becoming chaotic, the “criminal enemy” could not have taken advantage of the opportunity to cause havoc, the parliament speaker opined.

 ‘Protesters must separate themselves from rioters’

Elsewhere in his remarks, Qalibaf emphasized Iran considers protest not only right and a cause for the country's progress, but also believes that these social movements will change decisions and policies, provided the protesters would separate their ways from violent people, criminals and separatists.

As the Leader of the Islamic Revolution also confirmed, a protest in which enemy is not involved it is acceptable, the Majlis speaker remarked.

“A clear example of this method of protesting is the demands of teachers and retired workers in the previous months, which produced concrete results. Based on this, demarcation with violence and subversion is a condition for achieving results and tangible change as a result of protests, and the country's political system is also a definite platform for any kind of reform and change to secure public interests,” he added.

Of course, he said, part of this change is reforming governance system within the framework of the political system, which should lead to a new form of governance.

“Considering the accurate diagnosis and planning of the noble and vigilant people of Iran in not getting along with violent protests, it is clear that these unrests will end, but it should be kept in mind after establishment of nationwide security, people's prudence and intelligence in not going along with violence and riots should not be used as an excuse to avoid reforming governing procedures,” Iran’s top legislator suggested.

At that time, it will be the officials’ turn to respond to the wisdom of the people with the necessary measures to improve competence and counter weak points in economic, cultural, social and political governance, Qalibaf concluded.

The recent wave of unrest that has rocked Iran has come several times closer to fully subsiding. But propaganda produced by Western media continued to fan the flames of riots and clashes, a move that is seen by some in Tehran as a way to push Iranian authorities into making poor decisions.

Mainstream Western news organizations are busy inciting unrest in Iran. CNN has alleged that it has evidence that Nika Shakarami, a young girl who died during the unrest, took parts in the protests, a narration that goes against the account provided by Iran that she committed suicide.

Fox News, another America news channel, went so far as to say that Iranian officials are now escaping the country, a claim that was laughed off by Nour News, a website linked to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

“Publish the names of officials who are fleeing Iran!” Nour News defiantly proposed on Friday, adding that the reports of officials leaving Iran are aimed at polarizing the society and undermining the national morale.

Pundits believe that the reasons why Western media keeps exaggerating the situation in Iran is that they want to keep unrest alive. Over the last few weeks, Iranian authorities have undertaken many measures to calm the situation and address the demands of the protesters. But every time the unrest come closer to an end, the Westerners inflame it with unfounded claims and allegations. This explains why Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian accused the West Friday of creating insecurity in Iran.

“We enjoy democracy in the Islamic Republic of Iran and respect for human dignity is one of the important principles of the Islamic Republic. But unfortunately, some Western countries seek to create unrest and insecurity in Iran, and in this regard, two days ago we witnessed a terrorist act in a holy religious place,” Amir Abdollahian said in a phone conversation with his Sri Lankan counterpart on Friday.

Mehdi Mohammadi, an advisor to Iran’s Parliament speaker on Strategic Affairs, offered some details on how and why the West and Israel are trying to prolong the unrest in Iran. In a post on his Telegram channel, Mohammadi said they used up every asset they built over time in several Iranian institutions to achieve the goal of keeping the streets active.

“For the plotter, the only way to materialize this goal is to get the [political] system involved in an ‘escalating cycle of violence’. The Islamic Republic discovered this game right from the start. So far, the Islamic Republic has resisted the heaviest of pressures to take a tougher line,” he said.

He noted that from a strategic point of view, the system intentionally refused to resort to suppression. Mohammadi said the plotter failed to induce a revolution but is trying to move toward more violence.

“They still hope the system lose control and get emotional at some point. But this will not happen,” he asserted.