Iran supreme leader acknowledges thousands killed in anti-government protests
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Iran’s supreme leader has publicly acknowledged for the first time that thousands of people have been killed during recent anti-government protests. BBCPresident Donald Trump has stepped up his rhetoric and called for new leadership in Iran.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the statement during a public speech on Saturday, blaming the United States for the unrest and violence and saying some protesters had died in an “inhumane, brutal manner,” the BBC reported.
The protests, which started in late December due to economic conditions, later turned into calls for an end to Iran’s governing system.
The US-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency estimates that more than 3,000 people have been killed during the nearly three weeks of unrest, but Iranian authorities have not released the official death toll.
According to the BBC, nationwide internet outages have made independent verification difficult, with connectivity dropping to roughly 2% of normal levels, according to data from cyber monitoring group NetBlocks.
THE MOMENT OF “THE DESTROYING OF THE WALL” IN IRAN WILL HARM BOTH THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC AND CHINA
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly acknowledged Saturday that thousands of people were killed during recent anti-government protests. (Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran via Getty Images)
Videos verified by BBC Persian and BBC Verify show Iranian security forces opening fire on demonstrators during the unrest.
Trump told Policy “It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” it said after reading a series of hostile posts from Khamenei’s X account on Saturday, accusing the president of responsibility for the violence.
“What he is guilty of as the leader of a country is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence on an unprecedented level,” Trump said, according to Politico. “Leadership is about respect, not fear and death.”
TOP-LEVEL IRANIAN GENERAL THREATENES TO ‘CUT OFF’ TRUMP’S HAND FOR POSSIBLE MILITARY ATTACKS
President Donald Trump has said in recent days that he is looking at “very strong options,” including possible military intervention in Iran. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Trump went further on a personal note, telling Politico: “This guy is a sick man who needs to run his country properly and stop killing people.”
“His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership,” Trump said.
According to Politico, Trump had previously called on Iranians to continue protests and “take over institutions” and said “help is on the way.” The president later said he was informed that the killings had stopped.
“The best decision he ever made was not to hang over 800 people two days ago,” Trump told Politico when asked about the scope of possible U.S. military action.
Demonstrators burn a poster depicting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in support of anti-government protests in Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Holon, Israel. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Khamenei accused Trump of responsibility for the violence in a series of posts on Post
In another post, Khamenei claimed that “America’s goal is to swallow Iran.”
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Trump has said in recent days that he is looking at “very strong options,” including possible military intervention.
The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
