Iranian president says "taking people's lives" sole result of U.S. presence in any country

TEHRAN, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Friday that the Americans' presence in any country has solely resulted in "taking the people's lives," according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Making the remarks in an address to a number of people in the eastern Iranian province of South Khorasan, Raisi noted that to know about the "Americans' destructive presence in other countries," there is no need to read history books, "what has taken place in western Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq as a consequence of the U.S. presence is right before our eyes."

Raisi noted that during its two-decade presence in Afghanistan, the United States inflicted great cruelty on the country's people, leaving it in complete chaos.

He said the foes thought that they could deceive Iran's people with fake and deceptive slogans, but Iranians know the enemies very well.

Protests have erupted in Iran after 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini died in a Tehran hospital on Sept. 16, a few days after her collapse at a police station. Iran has accused the United States and some other Western countries of "inciting riots and supporting terrorists" in the country.