Iran blames West for creating 'baseless and fallacious' atmosphere amid anti-govt protests

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri has accused the Western countries of building up a "baseless and fallacious" atmosphere regarding the protests triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s morality police. The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister made the remarks while on his visit to India. 

"Mahsa Amini was not killed, she passed away. We have seen the atmosphere created by some western media with regard to the development in Iran," Bagheri claimed during an interview with ANI, while calling the atmosphere in Iran “baseless and fallacious.” He further stated during the interview on Thursday that the "rights of the Iranian nation are violated by these western powers." 

The Islamic Republic of Iran is currently facing one of the largest shows of dissent against the authoritarian regime in recent history. The events were sparked by the death of the Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in September after she was detained by the morality police for not wearing her hijab properly. 

Iranian official hits back at the West 

Taking a jibe at the Western powers, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri accused the countries of not bringing up the topic of “the people of Afghanistan, Palestine or Yemen,” adding that the Western powers “don't denounce or condemn these actions.” He asked further, “Who are the real killers of these people?” 

Meanwhile, the United States imposed fresh sanctions against Tehran on Wednesday for its brutal crackdown against the anti-hijab protesters in the nation. The sanctions included three more Iranian security officials -- Hassan Asgari, Alireza Moradi and Mohammad Taghi Osanloo. The three allegedly assisted in spreading military control over the largely Kurdish areas of Iran, including Sanandaj and Mahabad, which according to the US Treasury Department, have “faced a particularly severe security response” since the onset of the protests in September.