Iran’s supreme leader blames US over protests following woman’s death

Women shout slogans during a protest against the death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in Istanbul (AP)

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has responded publicly to the biggest protests seen in the country in years following the death in custody of a 22-year-woman by saying the unrest had been planned by the US and Israel.

Khamenei described the death of Mahsa Amini in Tehran while she was in the custody of Iran’s morality police, which set off weeks of nationwide protests, as “a sad incident” that “left us heartbroken”.