CIA Fingerprints All Over Violence in Iran?

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Since its liberating 1979 revolution, ending a generation of US imposed fascist tyranny, both right wings of the US war party targeted Iran for regime change.

Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh earlier documented hostile US covert actions against Iran, citing unnamed "current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources."

CIA dirty hands have been involved, hundreds of millions of dollars spent for subversive activities, aiming to undermine Iran's development, regime change the objective.

Bipartisan US hardliners favor war on the country, what Pentagon commanders oppose, congressional oversight on what's going on largely circumvented.

On Tuesday, Fars News said "(i)ntelligence reports and eye-witness accounts show that the rioters who have taken advantage of public protests against gasoline price hikes to stir chaos in the country are armed with different weapons," including firearms, adding:

"(R)eports by the security bodies and witnesses indicate that many of the bullets have been fired from inside the protesting crowds" at police and civilians.

Hooligans involved were "trained (and) prepared" to instigate violence, vandalism and chaos when ordered to act.

"Nearly 1,000 people were arrested across the country while over 100 banks and 57 big stores were set on fire or plundered in just one province."

"The main culprits behind the riots in the past two days have been identified, and proper measures are being" taken to restore order.

On Tuesday, Hamedan province police commander Bakhsh Ali Kamrani Saleh said "thugs arrested (were paid) 300,000 tomans (nearly $30) to stage an arson attack and another 300,000 tomans once they did the mission," adding:

Other hooligans opened fire on police and civilians, several killings and injuries reported.

Government spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmayeeli said rioting was quelled, order restored, a "large number of saboteurs and rioters…identified," many arrested.

They infiltrated peaceful protests against a petrol price hike to 12.7 cents a liter, one of the world's lowest prices, their actions orchestrated and manipulated by external dark forces.

Around half a dozen security personnel and a number of civilians were killed, others injured. On Tuesday, an IRGC statement vowed to protect the nation against "enemy plots and conspiracies," aiming to undermine and weaken Iran, adding:

"The sworn enemies of the Islamic Revolution have spared no efforts to overthrow the holy Establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran over the past four decades and have always sought to achieve this dream with numerous plots."

"At a time when the Resistance Front has opened a new chapter in the victory of Muslim nations in the region through defeating US-backed terrorism and the Islamic Republic of Iran has strongly resisted the enemy's maximum pressure and put the enemy in a state of weakness and despair, the wounded enemies of Islam and the revolution have resorted to a new sedition."

On Wednesday, Press TV reported that a "martyred" policeman and civilian killed by rioters were buried.

On Monday and Tuesday, large-scale pro-government/anti-violence rallies were held in four Iranian provinces, demonstrators shouting:

"Protest is the people's right. Disturbance is the enemy's doing," slamming US "intrigue."

Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Ali Shamkhani urged popular support to counter US plots to sow discord in the country.

The latest CIA destabilizing scheme failed like earlier ones. The vast majority of Iranians support government efforts against US imperial designs on the country.

They're hostile to Trump regime economic terrorism — blaming the US for their hardships, not their government.

On Sunday, Ayatollah Khamenei said "some lost their lives and some places were destroyed" by rioters.

On Tuesday, an Amnesty International (AI) propaganda report, reading like a CIA press release, falsely accused Iranian security forces "of unlawful killings (by use of) excessive and lethal force to crush largely peaceful protests," adding:

"At least 106 protesters in 21 cities have been killed…some reports suggesting as many as 200 have been killed (sic)."

AI gave short shrift to rioting, violence, vandalism, and chaos by anti-government hooligans, calling them "a few individuals," saying nothing about foreign involvement in orchestrating events on the ground.

Other than reporting on Israeli high crimes against Palestinians, AI operates as a virtual US imperial press agent, blaming victimized nations for US high crimes committed against them.

VISIT MY WEBSITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

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