Iranian authorities have arrested five people including a district mayor and a municipal enforcement officer in Ahvaz, southwestern Iran, after a young man set himself on fire following the demolition of his family’s kiosk, state media reported.
Larijani told a Tehran conference that Western concern over Iran’s nuclear activities was “only a pretext,” adding that calls to restrict Tehran’s regional influence and missile capabilities were aimed at weakening the Islamic Republic.
"(Iran) will not retreat from its path of independence and dignity, even at the cost of full confrontation,” the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said.
A surprise military campaign against Iran in June was capped with US strikes on three key nuclear sites, in attacks US President Donald Trump said "obliterated" the program.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons but Israel and Western countries doubt its intentions. Trump seeks to resume talks halted by the June conflict but Tehran rejects US demands it negotiate over its missiles or support for armed regional allies.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said last week Tehran had rebuilt its missile power beyond pre-war levels and that it seeks peace through diplomacy, but Iranians must not fear war.
Larijani accused the West of manipulating global systems for domination. Western powers, he said, had long used Iran’s nuclear program and regional influence as excuses to apply pressure.
“It is now entirely clear that the real objective of the United States and the West is to confront the Iranian nation. Just as after the recent war, they are demanding restrictions on Iran’s missile capabilities and regional role – issues that are none of their concern. Would they accept Iran commenting on the range of Europe’s missiles or its nuclear weapons?”
Iran’s foreign policy, he maintained, was never based on hostility toward the West but on safeguarding national interests through balanced trade and cooperation with neighboring countries.
“The basis of Iran’s policy has never been to cut trade with the West," he said, arguing that it was Western “domineering behavior and political interference” that disrupted cooperation and strained relations.
Khamenei’s role in the 12-day war
At the same event – We and the West: In Views and Thoughts of Khamenei – Larijani praised the Supreme Leader for what he described as hands-on management of Iran’s 12-day war with Israel in June.
The 86-year-old theocrat appeared to be in hiding during the conflict as Israeli attacks killed hundreds of military personnel and civilians. Trump mooted assassinating Iran's veteran head of state, calling him the "so-called Supreme Leader."
Larijani said Khamenei maintained direct contact with field commanders, issued key operational orders, and oversaw both military and civilian responses during the conflict.
Khamenei’s “precise and steadfast” leadership, he added, helped reverse the early course of the war, describing the first three days as among the most intense.
Khamenei did not appear at any public gathering or event since the start of the 12-day war with Israel. He skipped the funerals of slain military commanders and nuclear scientists and did not even attend the annual mourning ceremonies in his Tehran compound. Khamenei reemerged after a 22-day absence in early July.
Twenty-year-old student Ahmad Baledi suffered severe burns after dousing himself with gasoline and setting himself on fire in front of officers who demolished his family’s kiosk last week.
The incident sparked protests in Ahvaz, where residents demanded accountability. The arrests suggest authorities are seeking to draw a line under the case before it attracts any broader protests.
Municipal workers accompanied by police arrived without notice according to the Karun Human Rights group, which added that the deputy for municipal services in the district “behaved violently” and forcibly ejected Baledi's wife from the kiosk.
“The municipality ignored the judicial orders and unilaterally proceeded with the eviction at an inappropriate time,” the Judiciary's Mizan News Agency quoted Ahvaz prosecutor Amir Khalafian as saying.
“The municipality did not act according to the judicial order in this case.”
Khalafian said the man had rented a small municipal kiosk, but after the lease expired and plans to expand the park were approved, the municipality repeatedly instructed him to vacate.
Both the district mayor and the municipal enforcement chief, he added, were released on bail and are currently suspended from their duties until the investigation into their violations is completed.
The official added that arrest warrants were also issued for three other individuals linked to the case.
"Several others who sought to create tension and unrest on social media have also been released on bail,” Khalafian said without elaborating.
Witnesses cited by Karun said some of the officers made no effort to stop him and watched with indifference and mockery.
The incident comes amid deepening economic hardship in Iran, where soaring joblessness and inflation have pushed many households into street vending, peddling, and other informal work to survive.
The self-immolation echoes that of Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, who had been frustrated the confiscation of his wares by police. His case helped ignite the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011.
Street protests erupted in Iran in 2022 after a young woman, Mahsa Amini, died in morality police custody. Authorities quashed the demonstrations with deadly force.
