Iran's interior minister says CIA financing 'rioters' activities

As protesters continue to defy the demands of the Iranian government, Iran's interior minister accused the CIA of funding 'rioters' and claims that U.S., U.K., and Israeli interests are behind the unrest.

Iranian leadership is pointing the finger at Western nations, blaming foreign countries for the fallout from the June 12 Iranian presidential election. As protesters took to the streets again on Wednesday, Iran appears eager to look abroad to help explain the mess. Iran's interior minister spoke with state-run Fars News Agency and accused the United States' Central Intelligence Agency of financing the disruptive activites of what he termed "rioters" in the streets of Tehran. "Britain, America and the Zionist regime (Israel) were behind the recent unrest in Tehran," Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli was quoted as saying by the Fars News Agency, according to a Reuters report. As the Iranian government appears to be losing equity in international public relations, the statements from Iran's officials have become more outrageous and unstable the more the crisis continues. The unrest in Tehran has been constant for 12 days since the June 12 election. "Many of the rioters were in contact with America, CIA and the MKO (Mujahideen Khalq Organization, an exiled Iranian opposition group) and are being fed by their financial resources," he said.