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Deputy IRGC Commander Calls Suppression of Iran Protests 'A War'


Ali Fadavi, deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, undated. File photo
Ali Fadavi, deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, undated. File photo

Deputy Commander of Iran's revolutionary guards, IRGC, Ali Fadavi says Iranian security forces put an end to recent anti-government demonstrations in Iran within 48 hours.

He made the statement even though the protests which started on Friday November 15 still continued Thursday in some locations. With almost a full internet blackout, there was little unofficial news on Friday.

One of the latest cases of clashes between demonstrators and security forces was reported Thursday night from Kermanshah in Western Iran, where one protester was killed.

Speaking to the IRGC's security units in Tehran Friday morning, Fadavi said the protests took place in around a hundred cities in 28 Iranian provinces, IRGC-linked Tasnim news agency reported on Friday.

He compared the suppression of the protest demonstrations during the week to the Karbala-4 operation in the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, mindless of the fact that the operation marked one of the most embarrassing defeats for Iranian troops at the time.

Fadavi characterized the IRGC's confrontation with protesters as "a war."

He accused France of playing "the most influential part in instigating the protests," but did not elaborate further.

Top officials, such as Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani have blamed the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia for instigating the unrest.

A Basij paramilitary commandeer on Friday said “it was a miracle” government forces were able to control the unrest.

The ruins of a burnt bank are seen after protests against increased fuel prices in Tehran, November 20, 2019
The ruins of a burnt bank are seen after protests against increased fuel prices in Tehran, November 20, 2019

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