Iran’s former top security official Saeed Jalili blasted the US for supporting and providing financial assistance to those who staged a sedition plot after the 2009 presidential election in Iran.

“The US Congress officially approved a sum of $400 million for opposition to the Iranian nation’s vote and even (US President Barack) Obama declared in his report that the same amount had been spent in the first three months,” said Jalili, the former Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) who is now a member of the State Expediency Council.

Jalili said the large budget allocated by the US Congress was just one of the instances of Washington's hostility towards Tehran, reminding that despite all animosities, Iran has managed to successfully thwart the enemy’s plots.

After official announcement of the election results on June 13, 2009, supporters of the then President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's main rival Mir Hossein Moussavi - who rejected the results - took to the streets of Tehran and other cities in daily rallies.

But later, millions of Iranian people as well as the Iranian police, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and Basij (mobilized volunteer) forces staged a strong presence and ended weeklong demonstrations and unrests in the capital.

Also, on December 30, 2009, pro-government rallies were staged by millions of Iranians after a group of opposition supporters - including those who took part in the post-election unrests in June - took advantage of the highly revered religious day of Ashoura on December 27 - the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hossein (AS), the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and Shiite Muslims' third Imam - to chant slogans against top Iranian government officials.

On the same day (December 27), tens of millions of Iranians were on the streets to take part in annual massive processions across the country to mark the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hossein (AS).

Clashes began after demonstrators started clapping and showing happiness, insulting the mourning people who were also in the streets to commemorate Imam Hossein's martyrdom anniversary.

In response to the Ashoura unrest, millions of Iranians took to the streets on Wednesday Dec. 30, 2009, demanding that rioters be brought to justice.

Later, Iran revealed that a number of western states have played a major role in stoking the unrests both after the presidential elections and on the Ashoura Day, singling out Britain and the US for meddling. Tehran also revealed strong evidence substantiating the interfering role of several foreign embassies and diplomats in stirring riots in Iran.
 

News ID 185938