Iran summons Norway ambassador over parliament speaker’s support for riots

According to a Monday statement, during the meeting, the director general of Western Europe at Iran’s Foreign Ministry conveyed the Islamic Republic’s vehement protest at remarks by Norwegian Parliament President Masud Gharahkhani in an interview with an anti-Iran, Saudi-backed network based in London.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry official strongly condemned Gharahkhani's remarks in support of the recent riots in Iran and his interference in the Islamic Republic's domestic affairs.

The Norwegian diplomat said he will immediately convey Iran’s protest to Oslo.

In his interview, Gharahkhani encouraged those behind the recent riots in Iran to continue their actions, declaring his firm support for them.

Riots broke out in Iran in mid-September after the death of young Iranian woman Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old fainted at a police station in Tehran and was pronounced dead three days later at a hospital.

An official report by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization concluded that Amini’s death was caused by an illness rather than alleged blows to the head or other vital body organs.

In the meantime, rioters have been going on a rampage across the country. They have been receiving overwhelming backing from Western powers, especially the United States, despite continuing to brutally attack security officers and cause massive damage to public property.

Late last month, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry and the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) issued a joint statement to highlight the major role of foreign spy agencies, especially the CIA, in orchestrating the violent riots.