Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday branded US President Donald Trump a “criminal” for backing anti-government protests in Iran, as the estimated death toll from weeks of unrest crossed 3,000, marking one of the deadliest crackdowns in the country’s recent history.
📺 Speaking in a nationally televised address, Khamenei for the first time acknowledged the scale of casualties, saying several thousand people had been killed since protests erupted on December 28 and spiralled into violent clashes with security forces.
🗣️ “In this revolt, the US president made remarks in person, encouraged seditious people to go ahead and said: ‘We do support you, we do support you militarily,’” Khamenei said, reiterating long-standing accusations that Washington seeks control over Iran’s political and economic resources.
⚖️ “We consider the US president a criminal—because of the casualties, because of the destruction, and because of his accusations against the Iranian nation,” he added.
🚨 Blaming the protesters, Khamenei described them as “foot soldiers of the United States,” accusing them of destroying mosques and educational institutions. He alleged that rioters were responsible for thousands of deaths, claiming they were armed with live ammunition imported from abroad, though he did not name any countries.
🤝 Trump’s Shifting Tone
Khamenei’s remarks came a day after Trump appeared to strike a conciliatory note, saying Iran had cancelled the hanging of more than 800 people and expressing respect for the move. Trump did not clarify who in Iran had confirmed the information, but his comments were seen as a possible signal of restraint amid speculation about a potential US military response.
📢 In recent days, Trump had publicly told Iranian protesters that “help is on the way” and warned that Washington would act if killings continued or executions were carried out.
⚔️ No War, But No Leniency
🛑 Khamenei stressed that Iran was not seeking war, but warned against leniency toward what he described as both domestic and international offenders.
🗣️ “We do not plan to take the country toward war. But we will not release domestic offenders—and worse than them are international offenders. We will not leave them alone either,” he said, urging officials to pursue legal action against those involved.
🌫️ Uneasy Calm After Bloodshed
Iran has since returned to an uneasy calm following the harsh repression. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 3,090 people have been killed—making the unrest the deadliest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
📊 The agency, which relies on a network of activists inside Iran, has historically provided reliable casualty figures. However, the Associated Press has not been able to independently verify the numbers.
🇮🇷 Iranian officials have repeatedly accused the United States and Israel of orchestrating the unrest. On Friday, President Masoud Pezeshkian, during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, echoed those allegations.
🌐 Internet Blackout Partially Lifted
📵 During the height of the protests, authorities cut off internet access nationwide on January 8. On Saturday, text messaging and limited internet services were briefly restored in parts of the country, according to witnesses.
📱 Users reported access to local websites via Iran’s domestic network, while some managed limited international access through VPNs. Monitoring groups Cloudflare and NetBlocks confirmed slight increases in connectivity, though no official explanation was given.
📰 Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency also reported partial restoration, suggesting it may be linked to the start of the Iranian working week after disruptions affected banks and businesses.
👑 Exiled Royal’s Call Falls Flat
🚫 Despite calls from exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi for renewed protests from Saturday to Monday, there were no signs of unrest in Tehran. Shops remained open and daily life appeared largely normal.
Pahlavi, whose father was overthrown in the 1979 revolution, retains support among monarchists abroad but has struggled to gain traction inside Iran. Nonetheless, he continues to position himself as a potential transitional leader should the current government fall.
