Tehran: Iran’s Intelligence Agency on Tuesday, January 12, alleged that US-made weapons and explosives were found and seized in several homes in the Islamic Republic, alleging that cell members were working to invoke violence amid the ongoing nationwide protests.
The seized items included firearms, ammunition, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) hidden across various provinces.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi revealed that authorities have audio recordings of foreign voices directing protesters, alleging that there is interference from abroad, Al Jazeera reported.
Iranian officials claimed the US and Israel are sending “foreign agents” to stir up violence, potentially leading to military intervention.
Earlier in the day, the US announced that any country doing business with Iran will attract a tariff of 25 per cent, mounting economic pressure on the Islamic Republic where the death toll in the ongoing nationwide protests has reached at least 646 people.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he believes the Iranian government is in its “final days and weeks,” as he renewed a call for Iranian authorities to end violence against demonstrators immediately.
“If a regime can only keep itself in power by force, then it’s effectively at the end,” Merz said Tuesday during a visit to Bengaluru, India. “I believe we are now seeing the final days and weeks of this regime. In any case, it has no legitimacy through elections in the population. The population is now rising up against this regime.”
