CIA, Mossad behind Iran riots: IRGC, Intelligence Ministry

• 

Intelligence obtained by Tehran indicates that the CIA and allied intelligence services planned a conspiracy in Iran against the Islamic Republic, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry and the IRGC's intelligence wing said Friday in a joint statement.

"The conspiracy's goal is to commit a crime against the Iranian people and the territorial integrity of Iran," the statement underlined. "The stage was set for an increase in external pressures."

This comes after a terrorist attack took place on Wednesday in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, which left 15 people dead. 

Fifteen were killed and 40 were wounded in the terrorist attack on the Shah-e-Cheragh shrine in Shiraz on Wednesday. ISIS claimed responsibility on the same day for the attack.

"The main perpetrators were the CIA, the British and Saudi intelligence services, the Israeli Mossad, and the intelligence services of other countries," it read. "the planning and the execution of the majority of the riots were carried out by the Mossad in collaboration with terrorist organizations."

"Washington used in the past few years a malicious network of collaborating organizations and invested in various social sectors to create networks to breach [Iran]," the statement underlined.

"The Americans focused on creating a disturbance among the groups marginalized in the aftermath of the 2020 protests," according to the IRGC and the Intelligence Ministry. "The Americans set up dozens of projects to ensure that these affected groups stand in the face of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

The Iranian agencies explained that the US intelligence agencies allocate billions of dollars to find out who would be down to collaborate with western networks, which operate on the basis of changing the Iranian society, deviating the demands of the people, inciting violence, and creating false demands to produce dissatisfaction.

"Over the past few months, the enemy attempted to set the stage for riots by doubling its budget and using various means," the statement said. "The enemies paid famous individuals who have millions of followers to publish false information against Iran."

"One of the most significant goals of the Oslo conference held a while ago was to support the campaigns carried out under the banner of supporting the rights of women and minorities in Iran," the statement said. "The covert CIA talks on the sidelines of the Oslo conference with one of Iran's treacherous women focused on using any incident to incite riots."

The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) revealed on Friday that its intelligence unit had foiled a bomb attack in Shiraz.

Iranian state TV reported that “a bombing in Maali Abad Street in Shiraz was detected and foiled by IRGC intelligence”. Meanwhile, nationwide demonstrations were organized against the attack on the shrine in Shiraz following Friday prayers. 

Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei has expressed condolences to the Iranian people following a deadly attack on a holy shrine in Shiraz, stressing that the perpetrators of the "heinous crime will face harsh punishment”.

In a letter, Khamenei said that the grief brought on by the loss of these pilgrims and the desecration of the shrine will not be compensated unless the perpetrators of these disastrous acts are tracked to wherever they came from, and decisive measures are taken against them.