"The dignity and status of our beloved nation is much higher than being put in the same category with rioters and we have to distinguish between those who have legitimate demands and those who are seeking anarchy," Montazeri said while underlining that Iran's judiciary system will meticulously trial and punish those who are seeking unrests in the country.
He reiterated that behind these riots and anarchies are fierce enemies who have repeatedly received blows from the Islamic establishment since the time of the Islamic Revolution and have asserted on many occasions that they are after taking revenge from the great nation of Iran, the Islamic Revolution, and the country.
"Assuredly our nation has got the required shrewdness to reach the appropriate conclusion that this movement is totally rooted in foreign plots,” Montazeri added.
Economic protests were held in a number of Iranian towns in the past few days that each comprised of a few hundred protesters.
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Seyed Ali Khamenei warned that the enemies have mobilized all their power and tools to hit a blow at Iran, alluding to certain foreign states' role in the recent riots in the country.
"The enemy has always been waiting for an opportunity and a breach to enter and hit a blow to the Iranian nation," Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing the families of the Iranian martyrs in Tehran on Tuesday.
"During the events in the past few days, the enemies of Iran allied to create problem for the Islamic Republic by different tools in their hands, including money, weapons, policy and security organizations," he added.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the nation's spirit of bravery, sacrifice and faith blocks the enemy and its hostilities, adding that he will speak with people about the recent protests and unrests in Iran in due time.