Iran’s Pezeshkian says leadership, not people, to blame for protests

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country’s leadership bears responsibility for recent protest sentiment, not ordinary citizens.

“I believe that I am to blame. We are to blame. The students, the employees – these people are not at fault. Therefore, we must correct our performance,” Pezeshkian said.

He added that the duty of the authorities is to serve the people and address their problems rather than make existing difficulties worse.