Iran – Ali Khamenei: “No one should think that they can uproot the Islamic Republic”

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The protests, involving people from all walks of life, sparked by the death of the 22-year-old of Iranian Kurdish origin, have turned into widespread calls for Khamenei’s ouster, with slogans such as “Death to the Islamic Republic”.

Iran’s supreme leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened on Friday that no one should dare to think he can uproot the Islamic Republic, in his harshest warning to protesters since the death of Mahsa Amini, which sparked unrest across the country.

Human rights organizations say more than 200 people have been killed in the crackdown, including teenage girls. Amnesty International said at least 23 children have died.

The protests, involving people from all walks of life, sparked by the death of the 22-year-old of Iranian Kurdish origin, have turned into widespread calls for Khamenei’s ouster, with slogans such as “Death to the Islamic Republic”.

Amini she died three days after her arrest by the morality police in Tehran for, according to authorities, violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code for women, which mainly requires them to wear the headscarf.

The protests mark one of the boldest challenges to theocratic rule since the 1979 revolution, even if the unrest does not appear close to toppling the system.

Khamenei compared the Islamic Republic to a stiff tree. “This sapling it is a mighty tree now and no one should dare to think that they can uproot it,” he said in remarks aired on state television.

Some of the deadliest riots have occurred in areas home to ethnic minorities with long-standing resentments against the state, including the Kurds in the northwest and the Baluchi in the southeast.

The Iranian leadership has blamed the violence “enemies at home and abroad”including armed separatists and Western powers, accusing them of plotting against the Islamic Republic.

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