Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls Trump a ‘criminal’ as Iran blames US for deadly protests

TEHRAN, IRAN: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sharply escalated his rhetoric against the United States this week, placing direct blame on Donald Trump for the deadliest protests the country has seen in decades.

Speaking on Saturday, Khamenei accused Washington of orchestrating unrest that he said has left thousands dead since demonstrations erupted in late December.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei directly targets Trump over unrest

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lashed out at Donald Trump on Saturday, labeling him a “criminal” and accusing the US president of personally driving what Tehran describes as foreign-backed sedition inside Iran.

“The latest anti-Iran sedition was different in that the US President personally became involved,” Iranian media quoted Khamenei as saying, according to Reuters.

The remarks marked one of Khamenei’s most direct personal attacks on Trump to date and reflected an increasingly aggressive narrative from Iran’s leadership as protests continued to sweep cities nationwide. Iranian officials have repeatedly claimed the demonstrations were not organic but instead the result of foreign interference, singling out the United States and Israel.

Iran unrest turns deadly as protests surge nationwide

The protests, which began in late December over worsening economic conditions, quickly evolved into widespread anti-regime demonstrations. Security forces responded with sweeping crackdowns, triggering international alarm over the scale of violence used against protesters.

Human rights organizations say the death toll has reached unprecedented levels. The US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran reported on Friday that at least 3,090 people have been killed so far, a figure that continues to rise. Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi told Bret Baier on Special Report earlier this week that the number could be even higher, estimating that at least 12,000 people may have died.

The scale of the unrest has drawn comparisons to the turmoil surrounding Iran’s 1979 revolution, underscoring the seriousness of the challenge facing the regime.

Trump has repeatedly voiced support for Iranian protesters, framing the unrest as a grassroots uprising against authoritarian rule. On Tuesday, Trump said he had halted all engagement with the Iranian government, stating there would be no contact until the killings stop. He also urged Iranians to “take over” their country, language that Iranian leaders have cited as evidence of American interference. 

When asked on Friday whether Arab or Israeli officials had influenced him not to strike Iran militarily, Trump said the decision was his alone, citing reports that executions had been halted.

Trump claims Iran halted executions amid growing unrest

Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday praising what he said was Iran’s decision to cancel mass executions.

“I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been canceled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!” Trump wrote. It remains unclear how Trump confirmed the status of the executions or whether he was referring to a single day or multiple days of canceled sentences.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the claim earlier in the week, telling reporters that 800 scheduled executions had been halted.

“What I will say with respect to Iran is that the president and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences,” Leavitt said.

“And the president received a message… that the killing and the executions will stop.”

Iranian clerics escalate violent rhetoric against protesters

While Iranian leadership has blamed foreign actors, rhetoric inside the country has grown increasingly extreme. A sermon delivered by hardline cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami and broadcast on Iranian state radio sparked chants of “Armed hypocrites should be put to death!”

Khatami, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts and Guardian Council, described protesters as “Trump’s soldiers” and “butlers” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to The Associated Press.

“Americans and Zionists should not expect peace,” Khatami warned, calling for “hard revenge from the system.”