Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has accused the United States and President Donald Trump of orchestrating recent unrest that has left thousands dead across the country.
In a defiant televised address on Saturday, the Ayatollah acknowledged the massive scale of the casualties for the first time, describing some of the killings as “inhuman and savage.” However, he shifted the blame away from state security forces, instead labelling the victims and demonstrators as “seditionists” and “rioters” backed by foreign powers.
The protests, which began on 28 December over a collapsing economy, have rapidly evolved into a direct challenge to the theocratic establishment, with many calling for an end to clerical rule.
A ‘catastrophic’ death toll
Human rights monitors have painted a grim picture of the crackdown, which has been intensified by a near-total digital blackout.
- Casualties: The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reports that 3,090 people have been killed since the unrest began.
- Verified Violence: Despite government denials, BBC Persian and BBC Verify have authenticated footage showing security forces firing live ammunition directly into crowds of protesters.
- Information Blackout: Connectivity in Iran remains at just 2% of normal levels according to NetBlocks, leaving millions unable to communicate with the outside world.
Trump’s ‘intervention’ warning
The rhetoric from Tehran comes as President Donald Trump continues to vocalise his support for the demonstrators. Mr. Trump has urged Iranians to “keep protesting” and has warned that the US is considering military intervention if the “killing of civilians” continues.
While the US President remarked on Wednesday that he had been told the “killing has stopped,” he emphasized that military action remains an option on the table. In a move widely seen as a response to rising tensions, the US and UK have begun a partial withdrawal of non-essential personnel from the Al-Udeid air base in Qatar—a move described by officials as a “precautionary measure.”
‘The goal is to swallow Iran’
Ayatollah Khamenei used his Saturday speech to frame the conflict as a struggle for national survival. Labeling President Trump a “criminal,” he claimed on social media that “America’s goal is to swallow Iran.”
The White House has not yet formally responded to the Supreme Leader’s latest personal attacks. However, the escalating war of words, combined with military movements in the Gulf, has raised international fears of a direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
With the internet still largely severed, the true situation on the ground in provincial Iranian cities remains difficult to verify, though fewer reports of large-scale street battles have emerged in the last 48 hours.
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