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NBC News
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Nearly a year after mass protests erupted in Iran, the country’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, defended his government’s response to the demonstrations in an interview with NBC News, and warned that those who try to sow instability in the Islamic Republic would pay a “big cost.”
In his first interview with a Western news organization since the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered public outrage last year, Raisi told NBC News’ Lester Holt that the unrest was allegedly fueled by U.S. and European powers and that security forces had treated protesters in a “peaceful” manner.
Asked about human rights reports that Iran was seeking to silence activists in advance of Saturday, the first anniversary of Amini’s death, Raisi said that his government was ready to listen to genuine protesters but would not tolerate attempts to destabilize the country.