TEHRAN – In reaction to a series of tweets by Western officials who reacted harshly and angrily to the execution of a villain arrested during the riots in Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said late on Thursday that the Judicial system in Iran “has employed proportionate and standard anti-riot methods.”

Mohsen Shekari, who had blocked a street on September 25 with a guardrail, wounded a Basij member with machete and terrified people, was executed early on Thursday. He had been found guilty of moharbeh (waging war against God).
According to sharia (Islamic law), the charge moharbeh carries death penalty.

After Shekari was executed, some Western officials tried to demonize Iran in a way that the Islamic Republic does not differentiate between protests and violent riots. 

The Foreign Ministry says the Iranian Judiciary has adopted “restraint and proportionality” in dealing with riots."In countering riots, Iran's shown utmost restraint and - unlike many Western regimes who smear and violently crackdown even the peaceful protesters - Iran has employed proportionate and standard anti-riot methods," the Iranian Foreign Ministry tweeted.
"The same is true for the judicial process: restraint and proportionality," it added.

Riots erupted first in Tehran and then spread to other certain cities across the country after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, fainted in a morality police station and died three days later in hospital in September. 

There were rumors that she had died because of a blow to her head. However, a detailed examination by the Forensic Medicine found out that she had died because of a chronic illness.

The CCTV footage showed the young lady fainted at the police station. She, along with others, had been take to police station to receive training on dress code.

Despite the release of Forensic Medicine’s findings, the unrest continued. Persian language networks and websites, including Iran International, BBC Persian, VOA and DW, along with certain Western officials have been fanning the flames of riots by provoking the youth and spreading lies. 

The Iranian Interior Ministry issued a statement on December 3 saying the foes have been using the tragic death of Amini to wage a hybrid war against the Islamic Republic to undermine national solidarity. The ministry added that some 200 people had so far lost their lives in the riots.

Iran has been saying that peaceful protests are different from acts of vandalism and that it shows no leniency toward vandals and terrorists.

"Public security is redline. Armed assault and vandalism aren't tolerable, even to Western regimes who’ve found an opportunity to hypocritically lecture Iran," the Foreign Ministry added.

So far more than 60 security personnel have been killed by vandals or militants in certain cities. In acts of violence, some citizens have also lost their lives.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry added the West must stop “hosting, backing and encouraging terrorists." 

Certain people allied to the terrorist Mujaheddin Khalq Organization (MKO) misused the opportunity that followed the unrest to commit acts of terrorism, purposefully targeting security forces. 

After the news of the execution of Mohsen Shekari broke out, the American national security advisor, secretary of state, and its special envoy for Iran reacted with contempt that are intended to keep the atmosphere tense in Iran.

“We are appalled by the execution of #MohsenShekari. Our message to Iran’s leadership is clear: End this brutal crackdown. We will continue to hold the Iranian regime accountable,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted.

National Security advisor Jake Sullivan also said, “The unjust and cruel execution of #MohsenShekari is a cynical attempt to intimidate the brave Iranian people.  Our hearts are with his family. We will hold the Iranian regime accountable for the brutal violence it’s committing against its own people.”

“Public security is redline. Armed assault and vandalism aren't tolerable.”Robert Malley, who is charge of conducing talks with Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA), also wrote, “#MohsenShekari's execution after a sham trial is a grim escalation in the regime's attempt to suppress dissent. We continue to coordinate with allies and partners to confront Iran's human rights abuses.”

Germany also summoned the Iranian ambassador on Thursday in reaction to the execution of Shekari, the AFP news agency quoted a diplomatic source as saying.

The source did not provide any further details on the summoning. Earlier in the day, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock claimed the action showed the "Iranian regime's contempt for human life is boundless".

Germany has been one of the fiercest critics of the Islamic Republic since the riots erupted in Iran. Last month, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the European Union is considering further sanctions against Iran over what he called Tehran’s "excessive" crackdown on “demonstrators”.

"I am shocked that people who are peacefully demonstrating at protests in Iran are dying," Scholz tweeted.

"We condemn the excessive violence of the security forces and stand by the people in Iran. Our EU sanctions are important. We are reviewing further steps," added Scholz.

In October, Baerbock called for European Union entry bans and asset freezes against those responsible for what she called “brutal repression” against anti-government protesters in Iran.

“Those who beat up women and girls on the street, carry off people who want nothing other than to live freely, arrest them arbitrarily and sentence them to death stand on the wrong side of history,” she said.

“We will ensure that the EU imposes entry bans on those responsible for this brutal repression and freezes their assets in the EU,” she added. 

To provoke the protests in Iran, she also said, “We say to people in Iran: We stand and remain by your side.”

German officials don’t say who is responsible for the killing of dozens of security forces, among them top ranking officers.

“Fighting terror, violence and hate speech are international responsibilities”

In reaction to Germany’s move in summoning the Iranian ambassador and Baerbock’s remarks following the execution of Shekari, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amira Abdollahian tweeted, “Fighting terrorism, violence and hate speech are unequivocal int. responsibilities.”

Amira Abdollahian said Germany exercises double standards when it comes to fighting such acts.

“Hypocritical is that Germany considers these as red lines for its territory and security, but incites the same sinister phenomena in Iran and duplicitously denounces our legitimate struggle against them,” Iran’s chief diplomat remarked.

For example in raids across Germany on Wednesday, German police arrested 25 suspected members and supporters of a far-right group who were seeking to overthrow the government by force and install as national leader a prince who had sought support from Russia, according to the federal prosecutor’s office.

About 3,000 officers conducted the raids on Wednesday at 130 sites across 11 German federal states against adherents of the so-called Reich Citizens (Reichsbuerger) movement, Al Jazeera reported.

The wave of violent acts in Iran has prompted even some Iranian political figures or activists, who have even been jailed for their views, to seriously warn against inflating the unrest in Iran. They have been warning that certain opposition groups residing in the West, backed by certain Western rulers and media outlets, are trying to Syrianize or Libyanize Iran.

A senior reformist journalist has said the London-based Iran International airs “hostile” messages which are in contrast with Iran’s national interest.

Mashalah Shamsolvaezin said if a medium “produces hatred” instead of journalistic text, it means that it has entered the scene with a “special mission”.  

He said, “Iran International is an artillery that fires bullets instead of messages. Its messages are both hostile and in contrast with Iran’s national interests.”