Protesters in Tehran. Photo: Milad Avazbeigi via Wikicommons.

A top Iranian official has accused Israel of being part of an international conspiracy behind the recent wave of anti-regime protests that rocked Tehran in recent days.

According to Yediot Ahronot, a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), General Yahya Rahim-Safavi, who currently serves as a senior adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, claimed that a “satanic triangle” made up of Israel, the US, and Saudi Arabia was seeking to weaken Iran.

Rahim-Safawi added, “We must neutralize the plans of the enemy to carry out economic warfare and psychological actions against us.”

Khamenei also commented on the demonstrations on Wednesday, making a thinly veiled threat to crack down on the protesters.

“The legal system must confront those who undermine economic security,” he said.

Waves of protests have been ongoing in Iran for several months, most of them focusing on economic issues. However, the unrest has taken on a political dimension as well, expressing outrage at foreign expenditures despite the difficult economic situation at home.

In recent days, there have been major protests outside the parliament building and in the main bazaar in Tehran, apparently sparked by a major drop in the value of the Iranian currency, the rial. The demonstrators called on shops to close in solidarity with the protests, with partial success.

The protesters have also shouted political slogans, such as “Leave Syria, leave Gaza and Lebanon, deal with Iran,” “Death to Khamenei,” and “Death to Palestine.”