TEHRAN- President Ebrahim Raisi stressed on Thursday that the enemy committed a "scandalous miscalculation" by provoking the recent riots in Iran over the murder of a young woman of Kurdish heritage, but the Iranian nation foiled their plans to sow instability and create turmoil across the country.

Raisi made the comments during a trip to Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan province, in western Iran.

The provincial visit was significant as it took place more than two months of sporadic protests that erupted over the death of Mahsa Amini.

Mahsa Amini, a 22-yeard old woman, fainted in morality police custody in Tehran on September 13 and died three days later in hospital.

Forensic examination found out that she died because of a chronic illness rather rumored blow to hear head.

The peaceful protests immediately turned violent as thugs and those opposed to the Islamic Republic system used the Amini death to commit homicide. Persian speaking media outlets, mostly based in London, also used the protest as an excuse to inflame the people, especially the youths.

The protests in Kurdistan were more conspicuous as Mahsa Amini was from the Kurdish city of Saqez.

“The enemies thought that by inciting some discontents, they could once again use their efforts to make Kurdistan unsafe, as in the early years of the revolution, but they were unaware of the fact that the seedlings of the Islamic revolution in Kurdistan and other parts of the country have become a strong and bright tree that do not even tremble with these winds and adversities,” the president remarked.

The president praised the nation's cohesiveness and togetherness, especially in regions like Kurdistan where Sunnis and Shiites coexist peacefully and prevent the enemy from having a chance to invade, adding, “Kurdistan is the homeland of the warriors and brave people. The enemy should know that today's generation, like their fathers and mothers, resists conspiracies and neutralizes them.”

Pointing the motivations behind the unrest, the president said, “The recent turmoil was because the enemy wants to stop the fast-moving train of the country's progress in various fields, but the country's officials, with the help and support of the people, should not allow this train to stop moving.”

“Making up for the shortcomings”

In a meeting with a group of clerics, Friday prayer imams, and congregational prayer imams of the province, the cleric president also said his “popular administration” is doing all it can to “make up for the shortcomings and solve the problems.”

The president added the government has put all its efforts to solve the problems so that the areas of abuse by the enemy are eliminated as much as possible

And the clerics also have a duty to enlighten the society about the U.S. and the Zionist regime as the source of oppression and spreading lies, eh pointed out.

The president continued by saying that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been targeted by its enemies since the revolution's victory as a result of the high standards it has set for itself. “The enemy plotted and implemented many conspiracies against this nation. Among them were the 8-year imposed war and separatist provocations, including in Kurdistan, but the knowledgeable and insightful Kurdish people defeated the enemy.”

Raisi described the Kurdish people as one of the famous and noble tribes whose souls are infused with the teachings of Islam and who desire to live as Muslims, citing the numerous martyrs and veterans of Kurdistan province as well as the self-sacrifice of the Kurdish peshmerga against the separatists.

“After the enemy did not get results from war and separatist conspiracies, it imposed extensive sanctions against the Iranian nation to stop (the progress of) these people, but in the end it was forced to admit it has failed in applying these sanctions in the form of ‘maximum pressure’ and therefore it has turned from pressure and sanctions to sedition and unrest.”

The president went on to say that Iran’s foes are the United States and Israel and not those who poured into the streets.

“We do not consider the enemies of the Islamic Revolution to be those who came to the streets under the influence of emotions and feelings in the recent events and started talking out of negligence. The real enemies of the Islamic Republic are America and the Zionist regime. Of course, the response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to those who committed murder and created insecurity during this period is decisive and harsh,” he stated.

Another section of Raisi's address focused on the government's successes in containing the rising inflation despite the consequences of the subsidy reform plan.

Additionally, the president noted that the economic growth rate increased from 4% in September 2021 to 5% in March 2022. “This year, the economic growth rate will be around 4 to 5 percent. The main concern of the government is to reduce the inflation rate and prices, and at the same time, it will include the increase in the growth rate in the next year's budget bill.”

Raisi visited Kurdistan to inaugurate the water supply project for Sanandaj.

The water supply project to Sanandaj was finished more quickly than expected, Raisi said.

He added, "The same model and procedure may be adopted in other regions of the nation so that things can be done faster."

The government is seriously following the fulfillment of other demands of the people in the province, including connection to the railway line.