Iran`s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) headquarters (File photo)

Iran`s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) says the recent riots were planned and directed by Israel and the United States as part of an ongoing campaign to push the country into insecurity.

In a Friday statement, the council said that even after the 12-day war in June, Israel has continued "oppression against Iranians" through "hybrid warfare," changing tactics but not abandoning its hostility toward Iran`s steadfast nation.

The SNSC said the latest incidents, while initially sparked by protests over market instability, were "drawn into scenes of insecurity through the guidance and design of Israel."

It added that recent remarks by US President Donald Trump point to "a joint design between these two regimes to make the life of the Iranian nation insecure."

Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed a distinction between peaceful protest and violence. The council said it was "clear" that those genuinely protesting economic conditions would not worsen the situation by inflicting further economic damage or adding insecurity alongside existing hardships.

Referring to acts such as the burning of the Iranian flag and attacks on statues of General Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC Quds Force, the statement said, "No person of honor allows national symbols such as the flag to be insulted, let alone set on fire." It added that "no dignified Iranian would allow insults to the statue of the symbol of national resistance, Haj Qassem Soleimani, much less burn it."

The SNSC said the Iranian nation had already demonstrated its strength during the 12-day war, when "national solidarity forced the enemy into strategic defeat," and added that the same unity would now "render their sabotage tactics ineffective."

The council said the presence of security and law enforcement forces is aimed at preventing chaos and ensuring public safety, stressing that these forces stand "alongside the proud and resilient nation" to neutralize Israel`s destabilization plot and that of its "godfather, the United States."

It warned that security forces and the judiciary "will show no leniency whatsoever toward saboteurs."

The remarks echo statements by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who has said the Islamic Republic "will not back down against vandals" and will not tolerate those acting as foreign mercenaries.

He also urged unity on Friday, saying "a united nation overcomes any enemy," and dismissed US claims of supporting the Iranian people.

The unrest has continued for several days, with officials saying rioters exploited public concern over rising living costs and the sharp depreciation of the rial to incite violence.

Iranian authorities have acknowledged the legitimacy of peaceful economic grievances and vowed to address them, while blaming unilateral US sanctions-targeting Iran`s central bank and oil exports-for much of the economic strain.

Security and judicial authorities say they have dismantled several armed terror cells and arrested foreign-linked operatives amid the unrest, which has claimed the lives of several law enforcement officers.

Iranian officials say acts of violence have been openly encouraged by American and Israeli figures, including Trump`s repeated warnings that Washington could attack Iran if what he called "peaceful protesters" were harmed, and statements by former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alluding to Mossad involvement and separatist plots.