TEHRAN – Iran’s officialdom has moved to counter Western meddling in Iran’s internal affairs in the wake of a wave of unrest that engulfed the country in recent weeks.

The protests and the ensuing riots that erupted over the tragic death of Mahsa Amini presented the West with yet another opportunity to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs under the pretext of supporting the basic rights of a people suffering from the very sanctions imposed by the West. 

The death of Amini caused huge sorrow in Iran and understandably prompted some Iranian youth to take to the streets to protest the death of the young girl. This was understood by Iranian officials who sought to follow up on the case and address any possible shortcomings. 

The West jumped in with inflammatory statements and sanctions that only severed to make the situation worse. The Iranian officials, while continuing to seek justice for Amini, have moved to highlight the West’s double standards in dealing with protests in Iran. 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani has called on media outlets to address the labor strikes in France’s oil and gas sector, which indicated the double standards employed by the West in dealing with unrest. 

In remarks to state news agency IRNA, Kanaani pointed to the French authorities’ threat to forcibly end the strikes, saying this should be addressed by the media. 

“Labor strikes in France’s oil and gas sector and the French authorities’ threat to use force in order to put an end to the strikes deserve media coverage,” Kanaani said. 

Workers of French oil and gas giants have gone on strikes in the past two weeks, demanding salary increase amid a cost-of-living crisis. French officials have warned they would move to end strikes.
In a separate statement, Kanaani has slammed the French president’s allegations regarding Iran’s latest developments as political libeling and meddlesome, adding that the accusations embolden violence mongers and law breakers.

Kanaani also noted that Iran’s Constitution recognizes the right to peaceful gatherings, expressing surprise that the French president and some other officials in the European country are condemning security forces for dealing with acts of violence on the part of rioters and are urging the Iranian government to avoid resorting to force and to respect the rights of rioters.

He stressed that this comes as the French officials including the government spokesman in response to a strike by workers in the country’s oil and gas sector as well as refineries threaten the workers and say if they do not end their protests and industrial action, authorities would end them by force.

In the meantime, the United States openly interfered in Iran’s internal affairs by taking a variety of measures ranging from facilitating satellite-internet and meeting with anti-Iran elements to issuing statements in support of rioters. 

The Biden administration also imposed sanctions on Iran. In its latest meddlesome move, senior Biden officials invited anti-Iran activists to show support for riots in Iran. 

In Europe, meddlesome remarks keep flowing. Several European countries have egregiously supported riots in Iran. And the EU is reportedly preparing sanctions against Iran. This EU behavior was the subject of the latest conversation between the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian.

In his conversation with Borrell, Amir Abdollahian commented on the developments unfolding in Iran and said, “The death of Mahsa Amini is regrettable to all of us. In that regard, an accurate and scientific report has been presented by the Legal Medicine Organization under the aegis of a remarkable number of medical specialists and experts. Meanwhile, a judicial process is underway regarding the case. Of course, this case serves as a pretext for some Western officials. The question is: what has the West done in the face of hundreds of cases revolving around murder by police of women and children in Canada and the US, in particular? The most violent form of confrontation with riots cannot be seen as a good and acceptable action in Europe while the same action, which takes place within a legal framework in Iran, is counted as a crackdown,” according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

“Peaceful demands have nothing to do with riots, assassinations, arson, and terrorist operations,” he said.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, he said, is strongly backed by the people and an effective democracy, adding, “This is not a land of colorful or velvet coup d’états. Iran is an anchor of lasting stability and peace in the region.”