Iranian leaders try to link Islamic State-shrine attack to ongoing protests

Iran’s supreme leader and its president tried Thursday to link the nationwide protests roiling the country to an Islamic State-claimed gun attack on a famous mosque that killed 15 people.

The comments come as Iran’s theocracy has been unable to contain the demonstrations, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her detention by the country’s morality police.

There is no evidence linking extremist groups to the widespread, largely peaceful demonstrations that have…