Iran accuses US, Israel of meddling as FM speaks to UN, SCO chiefs over phone

TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi held separate phone calls on Thursday night with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Nurlan Yermekbayev, discussing the recent unrest in Iran and accusing the United States and Israel of interference.

According to statements from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Araghchi said peaceful protests over economic demands had turned violent after the entry of "trained terrorists." He asserted Iran would defend its sovereignty against what he called "Israeli and US-backed terrorism."

Araghchi accused Israel of having a "direct role in arming and organizing terrorists" and criticized US officials for "meddlesome" statements that he said encouraged violence to pave the way for foreign intervention. He listed attacks on security forces, civilians, ambulances, and mosques during the unrest, describing them as "Islamic State-style" actions.

He urged the UN and Security Council to condemn the violence and US "illegal interventions," while affirming Iran's commitment to protecting citizens' rights to peaceful assembly and national security.

Guterres emphasized respecting fundamental human rights by all governments as well as the UN Charter's principles, especially regarding the non-use of force or threat of force, and rejected interference in other states' internal affairs, according to the statements.

Meanwhile, a statement from the SCO website said Yermekbayev stressed the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity of states, equality, mutual benefit, non-interference in internal affairs, and the non-use of force or threat of force as "the foundation for the sustainable development of international relations."

Separately, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani said Thursday that Iran "will not be passive in the face of the US threatening rhetoric."

Larijani made the remarks during a phone call with senior Swiss diplomat Gabriel Luechinger, according to Iran's official IRNA news agency.

Protests have been held since late December in several Iranian cities. Authorities said they are prepared to address economic grievances, while warning against violence, vandalism and unrest.

Initially peaceful, the protests gradually escalated into violence, resulting in casualties and damage to public property, including mosques, government buildings and banks. Iranian authorities have attributed the unrest to interference by the United States and Israel.