Iran says it exposes US-supported network fueling anti-government protests.

Iran Claims to Disrupt U.S.-Supported Network Plotting Riots

Iran claimed on Thursday that its security forces had disrupted ‌a U.S.-supported⁢ network of foreign agitators who were plotting riots meant to​ overthrow the​ country’s ‌hardline government.​ These comments are drawing speculation ⁤that the regime⁤ is increasingly nervous about a fresh ⁢wave of popular protests that challenge its grip on power.

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry, in⁣ cooperation with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps intelligence unit, busted ‍”a foreign-affiliated network” that it says was planning to renew a protest movement that ⁣erupted ⁢across the Islamic Republic following ‌the brutal murder ⁢of a young woman at the ‌hands⁢ of Tehran’s morality police.⁣ Iran claims the ⁤U.S. State Department ​funded and supported the anti-regime network.

But the claims, which were presented by Iran’s state-controlled media without evidence, indicate‌ the Iranian⁢ regime may be seeking to use the​ U.S. government as a scapegoat before the ongoing protest⁤ movement launches ⁢a new wave of demonstrations‌ to bring down the hardline Islamic government, according to ⁤one former Pentagon adviser.

“Let’s put aside the notion of any State Department involvement,” said Michael Rubin, a veteran Middle​ East analyst who has ‌consulted ‌with the American government and ‌works​ as a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute think tank. “Iran’s ⁢ayatollahs have no better friend than⁢ [Secretary of State] Antony Blinken, [National Security Adviser] Jake Sullivan, and, if he’s awake, Joe Biden. Most important, never forget: Iranians have agency [and] they don’t need foreigners⁤ to teach them about freedom or ⁢protesting.”

U.S. involvement in Iran’s protest movement is unlikely ⁢under the⁣ Biden administration, Rubin said, ⁢and such claims are mainly disseminated to delegitimize the country’s legitimate anti-regime activists.

Moreover, the exposure of a U.S.-funded network in Iran would most certainly stall any ⁤talks surrounding a new nuclear ⁤deal. Iran’s government often claims the⁤ United States and Israel are fomenting⁤ chaos in the country as​ part of a bid to take down the hardline Islamic government, though it rarely presents evidence to support these ​claims.

“The​ members of the group operated with ‍financial support from the U.S. State Department” ⁢and other pro-democracy advocacy groups based in America⁤ and elsewhere, ⁣Iran’s Intelligence Ministry and IRGC‍ said in a‌ joint statement. Iran’s security⁣ services also identified “a number of members of‌ the network.”

Those involved are charged with “networking women and planning ⁣riots” across the country to keep popular pressure on‌ the hardline ‍government. The ​alleged network also​ provided “training to​ elements ​inside and outside Iran ⁢by holding free online courses for civil and women activists,” ⁣the statement additionally said.

The group’s goal, Iran claims, is to “revive ‍an environment of tension and riot.”

The State​ Department declined to comment on the allegations or answer specific questions about the⁢ validity of Iran’s claims.

Iran’s ​claims of‌ a U.S. plot indicate the regime is on weak footing and‍ looking for a scapegoat, according to Rubin, the former Pentagon adviser.

“That the regime is alleging a foreign plot ⁤today suggests Iran is ‌far weaker than many Americans realize,” Rubin said. “Perhaps a strong dose of maximum pressure ⁤might be⁤ the‍ medicine Iranians need to get rid of ⁢the cancer the ⁣ayatollahs’⁣ regime represents.”

Iran has issued similar claims of foreign meddling in the past ‍several months⁣ and years.

The‍ country claimed at the end of⁢ August that it had successfully thwarted a “complicated sabotage plot designed” by Israel and aimed at Iran’s⁣ defense industry. These claims could‌ carry weight, as Israel has repeatedly infiltrated the country and disrupted its nuclear program.

Iran also claimed in July and August that it apprehended members of​ a ⁤”Zionist-terrorist network in several provinces of the country” and‍ arrested “14⁢ terrorists.”