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‘People killed, but numbers fake:’ From India, Khamenei aide's rare Iran protest killing admission
An aide to Iran's Supreme Leader acknowledged killings in protests but dismissed claims of state violence and the number of deaths as fake.
An aide of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei, made a rare acknowledgment from India that people had been killed in the widespread protests in Iran but rejected claims of large-scale state violence, calling reported figures "fake" and driven by foreign interests.
Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, the representative of Iran Supreme Leader Khamenei, said he hoped the situation in Iran and the wider region would improve, while blaming sanctions for the country's economic distress. Follow latest news from Iran here
"Actually we hope that the situation will be good. We are looking for peace, we are looking for the security, but some other people doesn't want that one because this crisis and the problem which created by some people it burns the region and the Middle East and all countries will be affected by this crisis and the problem. We hope that everything will calm down and will be calm and peace and security will cover everything," he said, speaking to ANI news agency.
Iran has seen widespread protests that began late December last year and also ignited international tensions with US's multiple warnings of intervention as the alleged deadly crackdown of the clerical Iranian regime that activists say has killed thousands.
Khamenei aide's big remarks
Ilahi said Iran's economic challenges stemmed primarily from international sanctions and insisted the government was working to address public grievances.
"Actually the government should listen to the demand of the people and they are going to solve the problem. Even the President announced that we are listening to the people and we will try as much as possible to solve their problems and they try to do that one but something is not in their hand because the majority of this problem comes from abroad from the other people from the unlawful sanctions against Iran," he said.
He acknowledged public anger over economic conditions but claimed that others were exploiting the unrest for their own ends.
Iran has economic problems due to sanctions against it and some people are angry "but other people use this opportunity to reach their target and achieve their aims", Ilahi said.
‘Yes we have economic problems’
Ilahi also argued that perceptions of the situation in Iran were distorted and needed to be separated from reality, suggesting role of external powers in the protests.
"Concerning the situation in Iran, actually we have two things which we have to divide and differentiate between them. The first one is the fact and the reality of the situation. The second one is imagination, which is created by the journalist's narration, by the enemies, or by other people. There is a very deep gap between these two realities," he said.
"The first one is fact, reality, and the second one is imagination...Yes, we have economic problems; some are angry with the situation of the economy, which was created by some countries against Iran, based on the sanctions. But other people use this opportunity to reach their target and achieve their aims. Now, at the moment, the situation is very good, is under control and is not as much as mentioned on social media," he added.
On the killings in Iran
Asked about the people killed during the crackdown on nationwide protests, Ilahi acknowledged the killings but disputed reported figures.
"At first, these protesters attacked civilians, policemen, and businessmen and killed them as they wanted to benefit from this situation, and they mentioned that these people were killed by policemen, which is not true...Yes, the number of killings was mentioned by some organisations which are based in the UK, the US, and in European countries or other countries. But these numbers are incorrect and fake. They want to increase the number of killings to mention that the government killed them," he said.
He alleged that unrest was fuelled by external forces attempting to destabilise Iranian society.
"Other people use this opportunity to come out and to do some demonstration against the people and exactly what's happened here is the same lot....like what happened by ISIS in some years ago because they beheaded some innocent people, they burned some innocent people and they attacked some mosques and they burned some library. Even they attacked some policemen... because some enemies tried to bring problem in the society of Iran," he said.
Ilahi further claimed that many reported death figures were fabricated.
"Recently it was an interview with a senator in America. I said these organisations are made by US, based whether in the UK or in the US....mentioned a lot of numbers which are fake....these numbers are not correct," he said.
"We have a lot of evidence. The majority of them are innocent people who were working in their shops, in the clinic or in the hospital or wrere in the mosque. They were killed by these protesters. But some protesters were also killed after attacking policemen and after attacking the civilians, and the police wanted to stop them," he added.
