FNA- The Turkish media outlets said Michael D'Andrea, the man in charge of the CIA operations in Iran, has led the recent unrests and riots in a number of Iranian cities and towns.

The Turkish-language Takvim newspaper reported that D'Andrea has masterminded the violent protests which killed 20 people in Iran.

It added that D'Andrea has sent 900 agents disguised as businesspersons to Iran to ignite unrests and riots in the Iranian cities and towns.

Earlier, the Turkish-language Aksam newspaper had also released a similar report.

The Turkish media revelations were made after Secretary of Iran's Expediency Council (EC) Mohsen Rezayee disclosed that the US, remnants of the former Iraqi dictator Saddam's regime, Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, PMOI and NCRI) and Saudi Arabia masterminded the recent unrests in Iran within the framework of an operations room in Erbil of the Iraqi Kurdistan region.

"An operations room was formed in Erbil a few months ago, led by Michael D'Andrea, the man in charge of the CIA operations in Iran; also the chief of staff of Saddam's son and Saddam's brother-in-law along with a representative of Saudi Arabia and a representative of Monafeqin (hypocrites as MKO members are called in Iran) were in there. Certain reports have also claimed the presence of the UAE's representative in the operations room and we are studying them," Rezayee said on Saturday.

He said that the operations room had plotted to start its activities in Iran late in fall, using social media, and then hit a blow to the Islamic Republic early and mid winter, adding that they had named the project as "Fruitful Convergence".

Rezayee, also a former top commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), further explained that they wanted to take control of the Iranian cities from the government in the first phase, smuggle weapons to the country to kill people and then pressure the UN Security Council to impose new sanctions against Iran under the US pressure, adding that in the second phase they wanted to pave the ground for the MKO members to enter Iran and then make the Europeans accompany them in measures against Tehran.

"And this is the overal points of the Erbil scenario," he concluded.

Iranian people took to the streets across the country for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday, to show their solidarity with the Islamic Republic and condemn the recent scattered riots in some areas of the country.

Thousands of Iranian people rallied in Sari, Amol, Yazd, Semnan, Kerman and Ilam on Saturday.

They shouted slogans and carried placards, condemning violence and sedition.

They also carried images of Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and Iran's flag to show allegiance to them.

Also in Tehran on Friday, thousands of worshippers rallied after Friday prayers and condemned the meddling by the US, Israel and Britain in Iran's internal affairs to incite violence and riots in the country.

Iranians in Tabriz, Sari and Kerman also rallied and shouted slogans against the foreign-backed violence, while holding up placards and national flags.

The Tehrani worshippers and Iranians in other cities chanted slogans such as "Down with the US", "Down with Israel" and "Down with Trump.

Last week, a number of peaceful protests began in several areas across the country, with the participants calling on authorities to address their economic issues.

However, the economic protests in a number of Iranian towns in the past few days turned into riots each comprised of a few hundred protesters after the peaceful gatherings were overshadowed when armed elements and vandals showed up among ordinary protesters and began to launch attacks on public property, police stations and religious sites.

The original protesters soon left the streets upon calls by the authorities so security forces could deal with the rioters and sporadic violence, which continued in some towns and cities for several days.

Then on Wednesday, hundreds of thousands of Iranian people in different cities and towns poured to the streets to condemn the recent riots and chaos in the country and show support for the Islamic Revolution.

People across the country, including Khuzestan, Qom, Kermanshah, Ilam, Gilan, Alborz, Lorestan, North Khorassan, Golestan and Hamedan provinces, gathered in important squares and streets of their cities and towns to show unity and deplore hijack of the recent economic protests in Iran by rioters in the country.

They chanted "Death to the US", "Death to Israel" and "Death to the Seditionist" slogans to condemn US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's support for the recent riots in Iran.

They also carried placards which called on the government to pay attention to the legal demands of the people to improve life standards, create more jobs and decrease inflation.

On Thursday, millions of Iranian people across the country held fresh rallies to voice support for the Islamic Republic and denounce violence and riots.

Demonstrators flooded the cities in towns and cities, including, Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz, Rasht, Birjand, Babol, Hamedan, Neishabour, Chalous, Yasouj, Ardabil and Uroumiyeh, for the second consecutive day yesterday.

Demonstrators were holding up national flags and portraits of Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, shouting pro-establishment slogans.

The participants also held the US and the Israeli regime responsible for the recent wave of violence in Iran.

Ayatollah Khamenei warned on Tuesday that the enemies have mobilized all their power and tools to hit a blow at Iran, alluding to certain foreign states' role in the recent riots in the country.

"The enemy has always been waiting for an opportunity and a breach to enter and hit a blow to the Iranian nation," Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing the families of the Iranian martyrs in Tehran.

"During the events in the past few days, the enemies of Iran allied to create problem for the Islamic Republic by different tools in their hands, including money, weapons, policy and security organizations," he added.

Ayatollah Khamenei said that the nation's spirit of bravery, sacrifice and faith blocks the enemy and its hostilities, adding that he will speak with people about the recent protests and unrests in Iran in due time.