The Iranian government has responded strongly to comments made by former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed regarding ongoing protests in Iran.

Nasheed said in a post on X that Iranians were protesting against prolonged detentions and rising living costs, and called on the public to support the protests rather than the Iranian government.

In response, Iran’s Embassy in Sri Lanka criticised Nasheed’s remarks and accused Zionist forces of carrying out military attacks on Iranian cities and infrastructure. The embassy said these attacks had caused widespread destruction and resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 people, including children.

The embassy also blamed the United States for directly supporting the attacks, saying this had worsened the situation. It claimed that efforts were being made to create unrest within Iran and undermine civilian safety, with mosques, hospitals, metro stations and banks among the damaged sites.

Iran’s representatives said the Iranian people remained united in resisting these actions and questioned Nasheed’s position at a time when, they said, the country was facing external aggression.