Armed seminarians attacked protesters during 2022 uprising, Iranian cleric says

An Iranian cleric has accused a group of seminarians of wielding knives and machetes against protesters during the 2022 nationwide uprising, alleging they clashed with demonstrators before returning in bloodied clothes and changing into clerical robes.

“These people claimed to be seminarians, but after Mahsa Amini’s case, they poured into the streets armed with knives and machetes, confronting the people,” Mohammad Ashrafi Esfahani told the Tehran-based Didban News website.

“They would return in bloodied clothes and then dress as clerics again," he added in the Tuesday interview.

Ashrafi Esfahani said individuals linked to prominent cleric Alireza Panahian were involved in violent crackdowns on protesters.

“Has there ever been a precedent in Shia history for a seminarian to wield a machete and attack people? Yet, Panahian’s group did exactly that,” he said of the violence following the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini.

The young woman died at the custody of morality police, sparking the national Woman, Life, Freedom movement.

His comments come amid a broader power struggle between clerical factions, with Ashrafi Esfahani accusing Panahian’s followers of attempting to seize control of religious institutions for financial and political gain.

“We filed a complaint and reported this to the authorities,” he said. “But it is still unclear who is supporting these individuals.”