Iran accuses U.S., Israel and Europe of exploiting unrest as casualty claims mount
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States, Israel and European leaders of exploiting the country’s economic crisis to incite nationwide protests, as Iranian authorities and rights groups issued sharply conflicting death tolls from the two-week upheaval.
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In a live state television address, Pezeshkian said foreign actors “provoked, created division, and supplied resources,” drawing “some innocent people into this movement” and seeking to “tear this country apart.” He added, “Everyone knows that the issue was not just a social protest.”
The demonstrations, which began in late December over surging inflation and rising living costs, have largely abated following a deadly crackdown by the clerical authorities. The U.S.-based rights group HRANA said at least 6,563 people have been killed, including 6,170 protesters and 214 members of the security forces. In a separate account, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told CNN Turk that 3,100 people had been killed, including 2,000 security forces. The figures could not be independently verified, and the disparity underscores the opacity around the scale of the violence.
Pezeshkian accused U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and European leaders of “riding on our problems” and attempting to fragment Iranian society. “They brought them into the streets and wanted, as they said, to tear this country apart, to sow conflict and hatred among the people and create division,” he said.
Amid the tensions, U.S. officials said Trump was reviewing options and had not decided whether to strike Iran. Israel’s Ynet news website reported that a U.S. Navy destroyer had docked at the Israeli port of Eilat. The report could not be immediately confirmed by independent sources.
Regional allies including Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have been engaged in diplomatic efforts to prevent a military confrontation between Washington and Tehran, according to officials briefed on the talks.
Diplomacy appears stalled over a central sticking point: Washington’s demand that Iran curb its missile program as a condition for resuming negotiations. Tehran has rejected that outright. “Missiles will never be the subject of any negotiations,” Araqchi said during his visit to Turkey, adding that Iran is prepared “for either negotiations or warfare” and is ready to engage with regional countries to promote stability and peace.
Araqchi dismissed the notion of toppling the government. “Regime change is a complete fantasy. Some have fallen for this illusion,” he told CNN Turk. “Our system is so deeply rooted and so firmly established that the comings and goings of individuals make no difference.”
The latest statements reflect a hardened posture on both sides: Tehran casting the unrest as foreign-driven subversion while signaling resilience and readiness, and Washington weighing military options even as regional partners urge de-escalation. With contested casualty figures and competing narratives, the true scope of the crackdown — and the political fallout to come — remains uncertain.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
