Trump demands new leadership in Iran, condemns Khamenei as 'a sick man'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Saturday, January 17, publicly called for new leadership in Iran, intensifying rhetoric between Washington and Tehran as protests and a government crackdown continued in the country.

In remarks to Politico, Trump criticized Iran’s supreme leader and described the current system of governance as reliant on violence.

The comments followed days of social media exchanges and public statements from Iranian leadership accusing the United States of responsibility for unrest. The exchange came amid heightened regional tensions and continued uncertainty over the scope of US military involvement.

Trump calls for leadership change and criticizes Iran's government 

President Trump said that Iran should seek new leadership, accusing its ruling authorities of widespread violence and mismanagement.

Speaking in an interview with Politico, Trump said that it was “time to look for new leadership in Iran,” following remarks by Iran’s supreme leader that blamed the United States for unrest in the country.

Trump criticized Ayatollah Ali Khamenei directly, describing his leadership in stark terms.

“What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before,” Trump told the outlet.

“In order to keep the country functioning, even though that function is a very low level, the leadership should focus on running his country properly, like I do with the United States, and not killing people by the thousands in order to keep control,” Trump added. 

He continued, “leadership is about respect, not fear and death."

The president also referred to Khamenei as “a sick man” and said Iranian citizens were suffering as a result of poor leadership.

“The man is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people,” Trump said. “His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership.”

On Wednesday, Trump said that he had been informed that executions ordered in response to the protests were going to stop.

While welcoming that development, he said the administration was not ruling out further action if killings resumed. “If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action,” Trump said.

Iranian leadership blames US for unrest and rejects Trump's claims 

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday accused President Trump of direct responsibility for deaths and injuries linked to the country’s anti-government protests.

Speaking publicly and amplifying his remarks online, Khamenei said the United States was to blame for the violence that followed the unrest.

In a post on X, Khamenei wrote, “We find the US president guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation.” He described the protests as an externally driven effort, calling them part of an “American conspiracy.”

In a follow-up post, Khamenei said Washington aimed to “bring Iran under their military, political & economic domination again,” adding that such actions reflected long-standing US policy rather than the position of a single administration.

The Trump administration said it has multiple options available, including military and cyber measures, and has repeatedly warned Tehran of consequences if violence continued.

On Friday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, “The president and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences.”