Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh claimed authorities arrested an individual who received IRR9bn ($6,363) for participating in violence during recent protests, as part of an alleged foreign-directed plot, state media reported on January 15.

Ethnic Azerbaijani and staunch nationalist Nasirzadeh said the United States, Israel and allied countries established a discussion centre for separatists and terrorists to plan Iran's future, in the first explosive interview with state media in recent days about the ongoing struggled between the Islamic Republic authorities and street groups. 

"They even planned for each divided region to write its own constitution and directed weapons smuggling, financial and logistical support," he said, according to state news Arabic language service Al Alam reported.

The Defence Minister claimed joint meetings were held in a regional country involving US and Western intelligence services to plan unrest in Iran, with specific budgets allocated for violence. "In this meeting, rates for destruction in Iran were even determined: killing each person "IRR5bn ($3,535)", burning each car "IRR2bn ($1,414)," burning police stations IRR800mn ($566) and any harassment IRR150mn ($106)," Nasirzadeh said.

"Killing each person for 500mn tomans means the goal is to create deaths. They said kill whoever is in front of you and receive $700," he said.

Iranian expatriate economic experts have suggested that, if confirmed, cryptocurrency may have been the chosen payment method as Iran has become increasingly reliant on crypto exchanges in recent years to avoid US sanctions on payment transfers to global destinations, bne IntelliNews has learned.

This would be the first potential use of the parallel payment system by foreign actors in the past few years against the Iranian state. 

The Defence Minister claimed approximately 60% of those killed died from blows to the head. "Most people were killed with knives, suffocation, and close to 60% of them with blows close to the head," Nasirzadeh said.

He also claimed "team leaders" killed their own agents and rioters to create casualties and provoke public emotions through close-range shots to the head.

"Some of the killed terrorists had consumed so many synthetic drugs that they died without any symptoms," Nasirzadeh noted without providing medical records in his state television interview.

"American and Israeli officials this time did not hide their evil intentions at all and broke taboos regarding the interference of foreign elements in Iran's affairs," he said.

The allegations could not be independently verified due to Iran's near-total internet blackout maintained since January 8. Bne IntelliNews reported on January 13, citing an Iranian official, that the death toll from protests reached more than 2,500 people, though independent verification remains impossible.

Several other death figures have also been claimed in recent days, with London-based Iran International claiming that more than 12,000 protestors had been killed in recent protests over the past two weeks. 

Iranian authorities have repeatedly blamed the US and Israel for backing protests that began on December 29 following the rial's collapse.

Earlier, on January 14, US President Donald Trump said that the Iranian government would not execute protestors, and that the "killings" had finished. 

Earlier, he called on Iranian protesters on January 13 to "take over your institutions" and said he cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials until the "senseless killing of protesters stops."

NOTE: (1 Toman = 10 Rials, the rial is the official currency of Iran, however, Iranian officials often describe accounts in tomans for ease.)