“The United States is doing everything to push the population into discontent”: Iran accuses Washington of fueling unrest with its naval blockade

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian on Thursday accused the United States of fueling popular anger and thus seeking to provoke demonstrations with their naval blockade, the most severe since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Since the start of the war triggered on February 28 by Israeli-American strikes, which killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Iran has blocked the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

In response, the United States imposed a blockade of Iranian ports in April. “In the 48 years since the Revolution, we have never faced a blockade, war and difficulties as intense as those we face today,” the Iranian leader said in a speech broadcast by state television.

“Objective claims”

According to Massoud Pezeshkian, the United States is doing everything to “push the population into discontent and difficulties, to then provoke the emergence of social protests in order to achieve their sinister objectives.”

This is not the first time that Iran has accused the United States and Israel of stoking unrest inside the country. The government had thus accused its sworn enemies of being behind the January protest movement. And he has since executed several people accused of cooperating with these two countries.