TEHRAN – Over the last weeks, Iran has been rocked by a wave of riots and unrest that inflicted considerable damage to public and private properties. Several European countries through a European embassy in Tehran are involved in inciting these riots, the Tehran Times can reveal.

Nearly two weeks ago, a young Iranian girl died in police custody under ambiguous circumstances. The girl, Mahsa Amini, collapsed as a result of a stroke suffered in the custody, according to footage released by police authorities. The incident caused huge anger and sorrow in Iran, prompting the country’s highest political echelons to highlight the need to investigate the incident. 

Iranian President Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim ordered an investigation into the tragic death of Amini. He also spoke to the family of Amini to offer condolences and assure them about following up on the case. 

“I learned about this incident during my trip to Uzbekistan, and I immediately ordered my colleagues to investigate the matter especially. I assure you that I will demand this issue from the responsible institutions so that its dimensions are clarified and no rights are violated,” President Raisi told the family, adding, “Your daughter is like my own daughter, and I feel that this incident happened to one of my loved ones. Please accept my condolences.”

Some Iranians staged some protests in the wake of the incident. And authorities sought to address their concerns and soothe them. Soon the peaceful protests turned violent and led to the killing of many police officers. According to the unofficial toll, more than 40 people were killed in riots over the last two weeks, with dozens of public and private properties burned.

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.

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

The embassy also promised members of the Amini family that Germany will protect them, including by giving them German citizenship, in case they spoke up and were prosecuted by the Iranian authorities. 

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. 

This is not the first time the European embassies in Tehran get involved in the unrest in Iran. Earlier in early 2020, then-British Ambassador to Iran Rob Macaire was briefly arrested by Iran’s security forces in the midst of a gathering in front of Amir Kabir University in Tehran. He was accused at the time of meddling in Iran’s internal affairs by instigating unrest.