TEHRAN – Head of Iran's Civil Defense Organization said on Saturday that the Intelligence Ministry is responsible for an investigation into a possible infiltration of enemies into the management system regarding the implementation of the rise in gas price. 

The general said the plan was conducted very badly.
 
“The plan was implemented so badly that some people believe that the enemies had possibly have infiltrated into the country’s management system.”

He further said that the Intelligence Ministry must come to a conclusion and release its findings regarding such a possibility.

“We had the background of implementing subsidy law and based on that and regarding the society’s condition we could decide in a better way to convince the public opinion for implementation of the plan to increase the gas price to prevent its aftermath incidents,” Jalali opined. 

On November 15, the government increased the gasoline price. However, the legitimate public protests against the price increase were directed at sowing chaos through targeted attacks on public and private properties, forcing law enforcement forces to step in to stop saboteurs.

Early estimates of an intelligence body showed that a sum of nearly 87,000 protesters and rioters had taken part in protest rallies and gatherings when the price increase went into effect. 

A large number of protesters, who over 93% of them were men, had only been present in the gathering centers and avoided joining the rioters.

"The identical methods of the main core of violent rioters discloses that they are fully trained individuals who have been prepared and looking forward to the situation to riot, unlike most people who have been taken off guard by the sudden hike in gas price," the intelligence report said.

It showed that gatherings had been comprised of 50 to 1,500 people in 100 places in the country out of a number of 1,080 major towns and cities. The report said violent raids and damage inflicted on properties are larger than what happened in the February 2018 unrest.

Most cases of damage to properties had happened in Khuzestan, Tehran, Fars and Kerman provinces. 

The report said most casualties had resulted from armed attacks on gas stations and military centers. A number of police and Basiji forces were martyred in the attacks.

Nearly 1,000 people were arrested across the country while over 100 banks and 57 big stores were set on fire or plundered in just one province.

The Intelligence Ministry announced in a statement last week that it had identified several rioters who misused the protest rallies.

"The main culprits behind the riots… have been identified and proper measures are being adopted and the honorable nation will be informed about its result later," the statement said.  

MJ/PA