Iran's Parliament Speaker Urges Global Protesters to Reject Distractions

In a post on his social media account late on Friday, Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called on protesters across the world to "not allow warmongering rulers to distort their protests by creating a fake binary." He described what he called their "post-awakening playbook: shift protest from vertical to horizontal, then shame you for waking up." Ghalibaf urged protesters to "hold the line" and identified a signal he said was central: "Epstein, Gaza, Iran war, corruption, all from same top cabal." He added that the "noise" is "native vs. non-native" and warned, "Don't let them change the subject to dodge accountability." The post did not specify which protests or countries he was referring to, but it comes amid ongoing global demonstrations on various issues, including the war in Gaza and US-Israeli actions regarding Iran. Ghalibaf's remarks appear to address a broader international audience, as he spoke of "protesters across the world" rather than a specific group. The statement follows heightened tensions between Iran and the United States and Israel, particularly after US attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities. Iranian officials have repeatedly condemned such actions and accused Western powers of trying to divert attention from their own actions by focusing on internal Iranian matters. Ghalibaf's post also references "Epstein" and "corruption," though he did not elaborate on these points. The speaker's comments were reported by Mehr News Agency (MNA).