Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Donald Trump, branding him a “criminal” and holding the United States responsible for the loss of lives and destruction witnessed during Iran’s recent wave of protests.
Addressing supporters, Khamenei said Washington bore direct blame for the casualties, damage and accusations directed at the Iranian people. He described the unrest as an “American conspiracy,” alleging that the real objective of the United States was to subjugate Iran once again through military, political and economic control.
His remarks come in the wake of widespread protests across Iran that were met with a severe crackdown by security forces. Rights groups estimate that at least 3,428 protesters were killed, though the actual toll is believed to be higher.
Khamenei later reiterated his stance on social media platform X, stating that the US president should be regarded as a criminal for the deaths, destruction and slander inflicted on the Iranian nation. At the same time, he said Iran would not be pushed into a war, but warned that neither domestic nor international offenders would be spared accountability.
“We will not drag the country into war, but we will not allow criminals, whether inside or outside Iran, to go unpunished,” he said.
The protests, among the most serious challenges to Iran’s clerical establishment in decades, eventually subsided following a violent state response and an extended internet shutdown. What began as demonstrations over economic hardship escalated into a broader movement calling for an end to the system that has governed Iran since the 1979 revolution. The unrest initially took shape with a shutdown of Tehran’s bazaar on December 28 before spreading nationwide.
Trump had earlier voiced open support for the protesters, urging them to continue demonstrating and even hinting that military options were not off the table. Iranian officials responded by warning that any attack on Iran could make US military bases in the region legitimate targets of retaliation.
