Iran security council warns of no leniency for ‘saboteurs’

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretariat said on Friday that security forces and the judiciary would show no leniency toward what it called saboteurs, accusing foreign enemies of steering recent protests.

In a statement, it said recent events had begun as protests over market instability but were later driven by what it described as plans by Israel, with support from the United States, to create insecurity.

“The presence of security and law enforcement forces is to prevent insecurity in the country,” the statement said, adding that these forces were acting alongside the people to counter what it called foreign-backed plots.

It said: “Security forces and the judiciary will show no leniency toward saboteurs.”