ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Monday said US President Donald Trump has “contradictory reactions out of anger” because Iran is the “most unsafe place in the world for terrorists and traitors,” accusing the US and Israel of inciting the nationwide protests.

Iran has been engulfed in nationwide protests since late last year, as business owners and shopkeepers at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar went on strike and staged demonstrations over the falling value of the Iranian rial against the US dollar.
 
The unrest later spread to other provinces, with chants increasingly targeting the state, prompting a harsh crackdown by authorities, who have labeled the protesters “rioters” and accused them of being agents of the US and Israel.

“The enemy's defeat in this American-Zionist sedition once again showed that Iran, with this brave and wise leadership and the presence of this insightful and active nation, is the most unsafe place in the world for terrorists and traitors. This is exactly what has left the US president helpless and caused contradictory and angry reactions,” Ghalibaf said during Monday’s parliament session.

US President Donald Trump last week claimed that “the killing in Iran is stopping - has stopped,” adding that the Tehran has also canceled the planned execution of some 800 people.

Trump’s remarks marked a far cry from his previous comments where he repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily if Iran kills protesters.

Rights monitors report that over 3,000 protesters have been killed by Iranian security forces during the ongoing unrest, more than 2,000 injured, and over 22,000 arrested.

Ghalibaf hailed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a leader of the “oppressed and resistance against corrupt oppressors such as the US president and the heads of the Zionist regime.”

“This steadfastness on the path of truth has angered and disturbed the heads of disbelief and the Pharaohs of our time, forcing them to speak nonsense out of desperation,” the parliament speaker added.

Iranian authorities have also cut communication services and imposed a nationwide internet blackout since January 8. The Islamic Republic often cuts internet access during unrest, making it significantly difficult to obtain information, especially on the crackdowns.

Tehran’s use of force against protesters has been heavily condemned by the international community, with Amnesty International saying the crackdown has turned into “mass killings.”