The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, issued a warning to the United States about provoking unrest in Iran.

Iran was rocked by protests Nov. 16 after President Hassan Rouhani announced fuel subsidy cuts, leading to sharp increases in the price of gasoline. According to Amnesty International, over 200 people were killed and thousands were arrested in the ensuing crackdown. While some authorities acknowledged that the rollout of the fuel subsidy cuts was mishandled, many continued to blame Western and regional countries for promoting unrest in the country. 

Speaking to a crowd of IRGC officers and Basiji members in a Tehran suburb Dec. 12, Salami said, “Putting down the sedition is a testament of loyalty to the nation and we say to our enemies: We will pursue you, find you and get our revenge.” Iranian officials often refer to protests as “sedition.” Salami continued, referring to the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom and hostile Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, “If you do not stop with the seditions, we will burn down your interests, and this is our final word.”

The Iranian government has not yet released any official statistics on those killed, arrested or wounded as a result of the November protests. Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said Dec. 12 that 85% of those killed in Tehran province during the protests were not physically present at the protests. He said that these individuals were killed under “mysterious circumstances with firearms and [knives].” According to Shamkhani, this discrepancy is clear evidence of “a killing project from hostile regional countries.”