Mohammad Khatami, former president of the reformist government, referred to the protests of the people during the Iranian national revolution as a 'large planned conspiracy.' In a statement supporting the government of Pezeshkian, he declared: 'It is unfair to ignore the civil behavior of the government in the early days of the popular protests.' Khatami added: 'The statements of Israeli officials and the support of the United States leave no doubt about the formation of a large planned conspiracy against Iran.' He also noted that 'the entry of naked violence rapidly changed the scene of officially accepting the people's right to protest.' In this statement, Khatami did not mention the widespread killings of people by the government.