‘Agents’ drive Iranian unrest

Iranian women walk past a banner bearing a picture of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in Tehran on February 22, 2026. Picture: AFP In recent weeks, questions have been raised regarding the Brics naval exercise hosted by the Republic of South Africa. Let me say clearly that cooperation between sovereign states in multilateral frameworks such as Brics is neither unusual nor controversial.

It is, in fact, a natural expression of independent foreign policy and south-south cooperation. The presence of the Iranian navy in South Africa took place within the framework of Brics cooperation and was conducted upon an official invitation. Unlike the United States, whose record of interference in the internal affairs of other countries is well known, we do not interfere in the domestic decision-making of sovereign states.

We therefore refrain from further commentary on this matter and fully trust that South African authorities are best placed to determine what serves the interests, dignity and independence of their own country. What has, however, attracted far greater attention recently is the repetition, often copied directly from Western outlets, of reports in South African print media regarding unrest inside Iran. I wish to state that, as Iranians, we are deeply saddened by the loss of even a single Iranian life, whether a security officer, a protesting citizen, or any other Iranian national.

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At the same time, evidence, including public admissions by officials of the Israeli regime, confirms that foreign intelligence operatives and mercenary elements were actively involved in the recent unrest, carrying out acts of organised violence and destruction. These professionally trained agents were responsible for killing civilians using knives and live ammunition. Many of them have since been arrested and are not among the casualties.

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