Iran's supreme leader on Monday praised the ongoing brutality and violence by security forces against protesters, blaming the United States and Israel for what he called "riots".
The appearance of Iran’s supreme leader comes after unconfirmed reports of the 83-year-old being dead or gravely ill.
In his first comments on the death of Mahsa Amini in custody for her dress, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the young girl's death "also burned my heart" and called it a "bitter incident" used by Iran's enemies.
"I say clearly that these disturbances and insecurities have been designed by America and the occupying, fake Zionist regime [Israel], and they are funded by their paymasters and some traitorous Iranians abroad," Khamenei told graduating cadets at a police university in Tehran.
"If it wasn't for this young girl, they would have created another excuse to create insecurity and riots in the country".
"They are looking for the Iran of the Pahlavi era, which obeyed their orders like a milking cow".
The US is believed to be considering further sanctions on Iran in light of the protests, which have led to the deaths of hundreds of people.
Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based group, said on Sunday that at least 133 people had been killed by security forces so far. They include 41 protesters whom ethnic Baluch activists said had died in clashes in the south-eastern city of Zahedan on Friday.
