Iran was in its first major crisis in nearly four and a half decades since the Islamic Revolution. Massive protests that began in late December due to economic hardship eventually turned into riots. According to official figures, more than 3,500 people lost their lives in the unrest. The country has accused the US and Israel of being behind the chaos from the beginning, but they have not been able to provide any irrefutable evidence. However, US Treasury Secretary Scott Kenneth Homer Besant himself has admitted that Washington was actually behind it.