Tasnim � Prominent Iranian cleric Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani urged the country�s officials to serve the nation and said the religious leadership supports the people�s legitimate demands.

Speaking at a meeting with a number of high-ranking officials of the Law Enforcement Force in the central city of Qom on Saturday, Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani pointed to recent price hikes and economic problems of the country and said that officials should serve the people, who have struggled to protect the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and meet people demands.

He further warned against recent protests in various cities in Iran and said lately, some movements have formed and the enemy has pinned its hopes on the movements.

The cleric also urged the Iranian people to remain vigilant and not to let some of the anti-revolution elements, who are stooges of the enemy, get in with them and use the protests against the country.

The remarks came after some protest rallies were staged in some of the Iranian cities over the high costs of living and economic issues.

Following the peaceful civil rallies, the Western media outlets tried to portray the protests as a political uprising against the Establishment.

Iranian officials maintain that people have the right to stage protests to express their opinions, as long as the rallies comply with the legal conditions.