Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that US, Israeli, and European leaders had exploited Iran's economic problems, incited unrest, and provided people with the means to "tear the nation apart” in recent protests.
The two-week-long nationwide protests, which began in late December over an economic crisis marked by soaring inflation and rising living costs, have abated after a bloody crackdown by the clerical authorities that US-based rights group HRANA says has killed at least 6,563, including 6,170 protesters and 214 security forces.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told CNN Turk that 3,100, including 2,000 security forces, had been killed.
The US, Israeli, and European leaders tried to "provoke, create division, and supplied resources, drawing some innocent people into this movement," Pezeshkian said in a live state TV broadcast.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced support for the demonstrators, saying the US was prepared to take action if Iran continued to kill protesters. US officials said on Friday that Trump was reviewing his options but had not decided whether to strike Iran.
Ynet news website said on Friday that a US Navy destroyer had docked at the Israeli port of Eilat.
Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Europeans "rode on our problems, provoked, and were seeking - and still seek - to fragment society," said Pezeshkian.
"They brought them into the streets and wanted, as they said, to tear this country apart, to sow conflict and hatred among the people and create division," Pezeshkian said.
"Everyone knows that the issue was not just a social protest," he added.
Regional allies, including Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, have been engaging in diplomatic efforts to prevent a military confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
The US is demanding that Iran curb its missile program if the two nations are to resume talks, but Iran has rejected that demand.
Araqchi: 'Missiles will never be the subject negotiations'
Foreign Minister Araqchi said on Tuesday that missiles would never be the subject of any negotiations.
In response to US threats of military action, Araqchi said Tehran was ready for either negotiations or warfare, and also ready to engage with regional countries to promote stability and peace.
"Regime change is a complete fantasy. Some have fallen for this illusion," Araqchi told CNN Turk. "Our system is so deeply rooted and so firmly established that the comings and goings of individuals make no difference."
In response to the efforts between the United States and Europe to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organization, Araghchi told CNN that Iran may take action through parliament to place European armies on its own list of terrorist organizations.
He emphasized that Europe's actions would not help reduce regional tensions, asserting that the nations genuinely working towards the region's welfare and stability are the regional states themselves, not Europe, which he claims is only fueling the conflict.
Araghchi added that Europeans have lost something significant by acting against the IRGC. He also claimed that the European Union's influence in the region is diminishing and said that European nations do not seem to be considering their own interests.
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi
In a recent interview with The Jerusalem Post, Crown Prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi said, “Now is the time for the international community to help them (the Iranian people).”
“For the first time in 46 years, the demand is clear, national, and unmistakable: an end to this criminal regime, and a transition to democracy with a clear alternative,” he told the Post.
His comments come as US President Donald Trump's “armada” looms over Iran, with several naval and aerial assets positioned for a possible strike.
At the same time, recent reports point towards a willingness from both the American and the Iranian sides to solve the crisis diplomatically, without the need for strikes against Iranian targets and a widespread war.
Alex Winston and Tobias Holcman contributed to this report.