TEHRAN - The Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Wednesday decried the role of EU countries and terrorist groups based in Europe for provoking the recent riots in Iran, vowing response to any “hasty” and “ill-considered” action against Tehran. 

“We are dissatisfied with the positions and interference of some European officials concerning recent incidents (in Iran),” Amir Abdollahian said in a phone call with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio.

Pointing to meddlesome remarks by some EU officials about the recent protests in Iran, Amir Abdollahian said, “If the European Union seeks to adopt a hasty and ill-considered measure through a double standard behavior, it should await the Islamic Republic of Iran’s effective and reciprocal action,” Press TV reported.

Protests erupted over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who fainted at a morality police station in Tehran last month and later declared dead at hospital. Protests first started in her native province of Kurdistan and later spread to some other cities across the country, including the capital Tehran.

Immediately after Amini’s death, President Ebrahim Raisi ordered a thorough investigation into the case and an official report is yet to be published. 

Peaceful protests took a violent turn after violent rioters launched deadly attacks on security forces and set state buildings on fire in certain cities, including Zahedan in which 19 people were killed and 20 others injured.

Amir Abdollahian went on to say, “With its practical belief in democracy, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always paid heed to peaceful demands of people.”

“Foreign meddlers, organized agents, and terrorists, especially in Zahedan and west of Iran, changed the course of people’s peaceful protests towards violence, riot, and killing of innocent people as well as police and security forces,” the chief diplomat lamented.

In the deadly attack against security forces in Zahedan, capital of the border province of Sistan-Balouchestan, five security forces, including a provincial commander in charge of intelligence affairs, were shot dead.

In continuation of his talks with the Italian foreign minister, Amir Abdollahian said Iran is committed to "a precise and fair investigation" into the death of Amini in accordance with its strong laws and is pursuing the matter seriously.

For his part, Di Maio said Italy respects the sovereignty and laws of the Islamic Republic, the Foreign Ministry said.

Italy also believes that a response to peaceful demands is different from the one to riots and terrorism, Maio added.

Iran has blasted the role of foreign countries in orchestrating the deadly riots.

On Sunday, the Intelligence Ministry said it had arrested nine foreign nationals from Germany, Poland, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, among others for involvement in the riots, along with 256 members of foreign-based anti-Iran terrorist groups.

In a speech on Monday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei censured the United States and the Israeli regime and their mercenaries for engineering the riots.

“I clearly say that these riots and insecurities were engineered by the U.S., the usurping and fake Zionist regime, their paid agents, and certain treasonous Iranians abroad supported them,” the Leader said in a cadet graduation ceremony.

The Leader said the main problems of Israel and the U.S. are a “strong,” “independent” and “advanced” Iran.