Iran’s high chief defends hard-line method towards West, blames protests on ‘thugs and villains’

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s supreme chief on Sunday defended his robust method to the West, saying compromise would solely invite additional hostility from Iran’s enemies and blaming latest anti-government protests on “thugs and villains.”

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s remarks come amid an intensifying standoff with Western nations over Iran’s nuclear program, which has made main advances within the 5 years since then-President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from a global accord that restricted it.

Trump restored crippling sanctions on Iran which have contributed to a extreme financial disaster with out forcing any concessions from its leaders. Iran has additionally lent help to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, supplying armed drones which have wreaked havoc on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

“Some people are mistaken to think if we back down from our stances in certain cases that will cause the enmity of the U.S, the global arrogance, or Israel toward us to diminish,” stated Khamenei, who has the ultimate say on all main Iranian insurance policies. “This is a mistake.”

He spoke at an annual speech marking the demise of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, his predecessor and the founding father of the Islamic Republic.

Khamenei alluded to nationwide protests final fall sparked by the demise of a 22-year-old lady, Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by the morality police for allegedly violating the nation’s strict gown code. The protests escalated into requires the overthrow of the Islamic Republic earlier than a lethal crackdown largely extinguished them.

Iranian authorities have blamed the protests on a overseas conspiracy, with out offering proof, whereas the demonstrators stated they had been protesting over many years of repression and financial mismanagement.