DUBAI: Iran has proof that Western nations were involved in protests that have swept the country, the foreign ministry said on Monday.
The protests, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini after her arrest for “inappropriate attire”, pose one of the strongest challenges to the country’s clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“We have specific information proving that the US, Western countries and some of the American allies have had a role in the protests,” ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani added.
Moreover, the foreign ministry said on Monday that Iran would reject a newly-appointed independent U.N. investigation into the country’s repression of anti-government protests.
“Iran will have no cooperation with the political committee formed by the U.N. Rights Council,” ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said.
The U.N. Rights Council voted on Thursday to appoint a probe into Iran’s deadly crackdown on protests.
Volker Turk, the U.N. rights commissioner, had earlier demanded that Iran end its “disproportionate” use of force in quashing protests that erupted after the death in custody of 22-year old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16.
Activist news agency HRANA said 450 protesters had been killed in more than two months of nationwide unrest as of Nov. 26, including 63 minors. It said 60 members of the security forces had been killed, and 18,173 protesters detained.
