Iran FM: Some EU states misled by a terror group about recent riots

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says a number of European governments made grave miscalculations about recent violent riots in the Islamic Republic under the influence of erroneous and misleading reports complied by the anti-Iran and terrorist group Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO).

Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a telephone conversation with his Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares Bueno.

The top Iranian diplomat denounced terrorist outfits and groups for exploitation of recent unrest in the country, saying, “Some European governments have sadly miscalculated under the influence of false reports by the MKO terrorist group, which was for years on the United States’ list of designated foreign organizations.”

The Iranian foreign minister also appreciated the congratulatory message from King Felipe VI of Spain to Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi on the occasion of the 44th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

He also voiced Iran’s readiness to expand relations with Spain in diverse spheres.

Albares, for his part, hailed the close relations between Madrid and Tehran, stressing the need to maintain mutual cooperation.

The two senior diplomats also exchanged views on the latest developments in Ukraine, the course of cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the negotiations on the removal of sanctions on Iran, and issues pertaining to consular affairs between the two nations.

Earlier, Amir-Abdollahian criticized the unconstructive approach and miscalculations of some European countries in relations to the recent riots in Iran, as he met with his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto on the sidelines of a meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

Foreign-backed riots broke out in Iran in mid-September after the death of a 22-year-old Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini. She fainted at a police station in the capital Tehran and was pronounced dead three days later at the hospital. An official report by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization concluded that Amini’s death was caused by illness rather than alleged blows to the head or other vital body organs.

Iran’s intelligence community has said several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have used their spy and propaganda apparatuses to provoke violent riots in the country.

Rioters went on a rampage, brutally attacking security officers and causing massive damage to public property. Dozens of people and security personnel were killed in the riots.