Iran’s supreme leader breaks silence on protests, blames US

By The Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has responded publicly to the biggest protests in Iran in years, breaking weeks of silence to condemn the “rioting” and accuse the United States and Israel of planning the protests.  Khamenei said he was saddened by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s morality police, which set off the nationwide protests. But he sharply condemned the protests as a foreign plot to destabilize Iran, echoing authorities’ previous comments. Demonstrations have continued in Tehran and far-flung provinces even as authorities have restricted internet access to the outside world and blocked social media apps. The protest movement has grown into an open challenge to the Iranian leadership.