Iran’s supreme leader has accused the country’s enemies of stirring days of protests that have claimed at least 22 lives.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was speaking for the first time since people protesting at Iran’s economic troubles clashed with security forces last Thursday.
Nine people, including a child, died overnight in violence in central Iran, state media say.
The protests are the largest since the disputed 2009 presidential election.
They began last Thursday in the city of Mashhad, initially against price rises and corruption, but have since spread amid wider anti-government sentiment.