Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has blamed the US and Israel for the anti-government protests sweeping the country, in his first public comments on the unrest.
Khamenei said "riots" had been "engineered" by Iran's arch-enemies and their allies, and alleged that Qurans had been burned.
He also called on security forces to be ready to deal with further unrest, reports BBC.
The protests - the biggest challenge to his rule for a decade - were sparked by the death in custody of a woman.
Mahsa Amini, 22, fell into a coma hours after being detained by morality police on 13 September in Tehran for allegedly breaking the strict law requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab, or headscarf. She died three days later.
Mahsa’s family has alleged that officers beat her head with a baton and banged her head against one of their vehicles.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
