Iranian authorities are sharpening their claims that foreign powers are behind the unrest spreading across the country, shifting blame away from domestic grievances and towards long-standing rivals abroad.
On Monday, President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of fuelling the protests, saying the same forces that attacked Iran during Israel’s twelve-day war last June were now seeking to inflame anger over economic hardship, Al- Jazeera reported.
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Speaking on state broadcaster IRIB, Pezeshkian said foreign actors were deliberately stoking instability. “The same people who struck this country are now trying to escalate these unrests with regard to the economic discussion,” he said. He claimed that some protesters had been trained inside and outside Iran and alleged that “terrorists from outside” were involved in attacks on public sites, including a bazaar in the northern city of Rasht and mosques set on fire.
The comments reflect a growing effort by Iranian leaders to frame the protests as a foreign plot rather than a domestic uprising driven by rising prices, economic strain, and anger over the suppression of dissent.
At the same time, the prospect of direct foreign involvement is being openly discussed in Washington and Tel Aviv. Donald Trump, the United States president, has repeatedly signalled a willingness to use force, warning Tehran that military options remain on the table as protests continue.
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In Israel, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu suggested last week that Israeli intelligence had an active presence inside Iran. “When we attacked in Iran during Rising Lion, we were on its soil and knew how to lay the groundwork for a strike,” he told Army Radio. “I can assure you that we have some of our people operating there right now,” he said, stopping short of saying they were seeking regime change.
Those remarks were echoed online by Mike Pompeo, the former United States secretary of state and former CIA director. Writing on social media earlier this month, Pompeo appeared to acknowledge Israeli activity inside Iran, posting: “Happy New Year to every Iranian in the streets. Also, to every Mossad agent walking beside them.”
Iranian officials say such statements support their claims that the unrest is being manipulated from abroad. Critics, however, argue that the government is using the foreign interference narrative to deflect attention from deep-rooted economic problems and public anger at decades of clerical rule.
