Iranian army commander, Maj. Gen. Seyyed Abdolrahim Mousavi

Iranian army commander, Maj. Gen. Seyyed Abdolrahim Mousavi, considered on Monday that the riots in Iran were part of the United States plan to disrupt negotiations on the restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Mass riots began in Iran in mid-September in connection with the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Iranian authorities have accused Western countries of fueling mass riots, and European diplomats were given a note of protest in connection with anti-Iranian media reports and calls to overthrow the country's government.

"The recent unrest in Iran was part of US efforts to disrupt the negotiations in Vienna [on the JCPOA]," Mousavi was quoted as saying by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.

Earlier in the day, Iran's special services intercepted a cargo with money and intelligence equipment from Saudi Arabia, which was intended for rioters, Mousavi revealed.

It is noteworthy that during a Saturday meeting with a group of students in Tehran, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi said that "riots and the attempts to create chaos in the country are different from protests. The riots and those creating insecurity should be definitely countered."

Raisi stressed that the US and other enemies’ failed attempts to foment insecurity in Iran are similar to the conspiracies these enemies carried out against both Libya and Syria.

The nuclear deal was sealed in 2015 by China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, the UK, and the US, as well as the EU.

But in 2018, the US unilaterally withdrew from the deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran, to which the latter responded by gradually dropping its own obligations under the deal.

Following the change of power in the White House, the world powers resumed talks on the revival of the JCPOA.

In an op-ed published by Axios Israeli correspondent Barak Ravid on October 31, US envoy for Iran Rob Malley revealed that the Biden administration is not currently looking to revive the JCPOA deal under the pretext of Tehran's so-called "crackdown" on protesters, its alleged involvement in supplying Russia with drones, and its stance on Iran's nuclear program.

On September 2, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said that Tehran sent a constructive response to Washington's proposals on the revival of the JCPOA, while a US State Department spokesperson told Sputnik that Tehran's response was "not constructive".