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Reuters
Reuters
Politics
By Parisa Hafezi

Iran's Khamenei backs police over Mahsa Amini protests, may signal tougher crackdown

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reviews armed forces during a graduation ceremony for armed Forces Officers' Universities at the police academy in Tehran, Iran October 3, 2022. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

Iran's supreme leader on Monday gave his full backing to security forces confronting protests ignited by the death of Mahsa Amini in custody, comments that could herald a harsher crackdown to quell unrest more than two weeks since she died.

In his first remarks addressing the 22-year-old's death after her arrest by morality police over "inappropriate attire", Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Amini's death "deeply broke my heart" and called it a "bitter incident" provoked by Iran's enemies.

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