• Cultural centre chief in Quetta expresses his gratitude to Islamabad
• Accuses Western media of ‘baseless propaganda’; warns of Israel’s broader ‘designs’

QUETTA: The director general of the Khana-i-Farhang (cultural centre) Iran in Quetta, Syed Abul Hasan Miri, on Friday termed Pakistan’s “strong support” at the United Nations in the prevailing situation — wherein Tehran is seeking to deter repeated threats from the US to intervene on behalf of anti-government protesters — as “very encouraging”.

“We are grateful to Pakistan for extending its strong support to Iran in this situation,” he said during an informal talk at the Quetta Press Club.

Mr Miri said Pakistan was playing an important role in helping ease tensions in Iran.

He alleged that sections of the Western media were responsible for aggravating the situation through what he termed “negative propaganda”. He urged the Pakistani media not to rely on or follow such reports.

He denied claims of the killing of 20,000 people during riots in Iran, terming them “baseless propaganda” by the Western media.

“A few traders started protests against the policy of the Iranian government, which Israel and the US described as being anti-state,” he maintained.

However, he added that with foreign intervention, terrorists burned mosques and copies of the Holy Quran. “More than 100 ambulances and 1,400 ATMs were burned, while 365 shopping malls were looted by the terrorists in two days of riots in different cities.”

Mr Miri said that around 265 educational institutions and assets belonging to municipal committees, worth $20 million, were set ablaze.

“The 26 million people of Iran have foiled the conspiracy of Israel and the United States by coming out of their homes [and staging pro-government rallies],” he said.

‘Israel’s designs’

He warned that Israel’s designs were not limited to Iran. “It is dreaming of controlling the entire Middle East and, after Iran, wants to reach Turkiye, Afghanistan and Pakistan, but it will never succeed.”

The Iranian diplomat said the situation in Iran had become normal after the people foiled the evil designs of the country’s enemies.

He further alleged that Israel and the US were backing anti-Iran terrorist elements and had attempted to influence some youth through social media as part of a coordinated campaign.

Mr Miri said recent tensions were fuelled by the misrepresentation of Iran’s new economic policy announced on Dec 28.

Under the policy, he explained, the Iranian government withdrew subsidies amounting to $18 billion from five specific companies. He added that a small group of traders began protests against the policy, which, he claimed, were portrayed by the western media, Israel and the US as anti-state demonstrations.

The diplomat said the temporary suspension of internet services helped curb acts of sabotage and that conditions in Iran had now returned to normal.

At the UN Security Council, Pakistan said it hoped for an early normalisation of the situation in Iran, warning that the UN Charter and international law prohibit external interference in the internal affairs of states.

“The UN Charter prohibits the threat or use of force against other states’ territorial integrity or political independence, or interference in matters essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of states,” Ambassador Asim Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, told an emergency meeting of the 15-member Council on Thursday evening.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2026