Iran’s supreme leader admits ‘savage’ killing of thousands of protesters as he blames Trump for unrest

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US and Israel were responsible for the deaths of ‘several thousands’ of people during weeks of anti-government protests in the country.

“Those linked to Israel and the United States have caused great damage and killed thousands of people” during protests that have gripped Iran for more than two weeks, Khamenei said on Saturday.

He accused the two nations of direct involvement in the violence, describing US President Donald Trump as a ‘criminal’.

“The last anti-Iran uprising was different in terms of the personal involvement of the US president,” he said, quoted by Iranian state media.

Khamenei warned that Iran will avoid escalating tensions beyond its borders, but that those he holds responsible will suffer the consequences.

‘We will not drag the country into war, but we will not allow domestic and international criminals to go unpunished,’ he said.

Khamenei’s remarks largely confirmed Iran’s long-standing position, but also raised a new and important claim regarding casualties.

Khamenei was seen chanting ‘Death to America’ slogans in front of the crowd while speaking at a meeting held in Tehran today.

Although US-based human rights group HRANA says another 3,000 people were killed in the protests, the death toll has not yet been confirmed.

By now Iranian officials have publicly acknowledged that hundreds of people, including security forces, have died.

Khamenei’s claim marks the first time the country’s top officials have mentioned thousands of deaths.

It comes after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened US forces, claiming to have located a hotel used by senior American commanders in Qatar.

US soldiers were recently evacuated from military bases in the Middle East due to fears that Iran could retaliate if Donald Trump orders an attack on the country.

A Telegram channel affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, which many Western countries consider a terrorist organization, warned commanders to “watch your mind” with a chilling threat.

The ‘clumsy’ relocation of senior US military personnel will in no way protect them from a decisive and strong response by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the event of any attack on Iranian territory, Operations Center Media said.

The threat level to US forces in the region was lowered after Trump stepped back from the brink after Tehran announced that detained protester Erfan Soltani had not been sentenced to death.

The US president had warned that executing anti-government demonstrators could trigger military action.

But the situation remains volatile as the United States is thought to be considering the deployment of additional military assets to the Middle East, including a possible aircraft carrier strike group, ABC News reported Friday.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that Iran sees Trump as ‘guilty’ for the ‘losses, damages and slanders he inflicted on the Iranian nation’ during the recent unrest.

He was also filmed leading a crowd chanting “Death to America” ​​at a meeting in Tehran on Friday.

In his post on X earlier today, Khamenei said: ‘We find the US President guilty of the losses, damages and slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation.’

Anti-government protests have spread across Iran in recent weeks; There is video footage showing buildings on fire and violent clashes with security forces. Human rights groups estimate that at least 3,000 people were killed during the unrest.

Pro-government demonstrators gathered at Enghelab (Revolution) Square in central Tehran in support of the Islamic Republic

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened US forces, claiming to have located a hotel used by senior American commanders in Qatar. A Telegram channel affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, which many Western countries consider a terrorist organization, warned commanders to ‘watch your mind’ with a chilling threat

Protesters hold portraits of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (top and left) during a demonstration near the Iranian embassy in Baghdad in support of the Iranian regime and its supreme leader

Pro-government demonstrators gathered at Enghelab (Revolution) Square in central Tehran in support of the Islamic Republic

A vehicle was set on fire during protests in Tehran, Iran

Although most of the disorder has since been suppressed, authorities are trying to reassert control through pro-government rallies across the country.

On Friday, Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi called on Trump to carry out a ‘surgical strike’ against Iran’s security forces and called for international action to weaken the regime’s command structure.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Pahlavi said that US action should focus on the Revolutionary Guard, which he described as the main source of pressure.

Trump has previously expressed doubts about Pahlavi’s ability to gain support in Iran, although the exiled royal has stepped up lobbying efforts in Washington.

Pahlavi confirmed he met with White House envoy Steve Witkoff last week but declined to give details, saying it was a “sensitive time.”

“I believe that President Trump is a man of his word and will ultimately stand by the Iranian people,” he said, adding that “it is never too late” for the United States to help.

‘We will fight until we win.’

Although much of the unrest has since been suppressed, authorities are trying to reassert control through pro-government rallies across the country

Khamenei said in his post on X earlier today: ‘We find the US President guilty of the losses, damages and slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation.’

Ahead of his statements, videos played at the press conference showed people injured, apparently by Iranian security forces, and other scenes from the protests, including demonstrators chanting ‘Long Live the Shah’.

In addition to this slogan, other slogans calling for the destruction of the Islamic Republic, without mentioning the Shah, were also heard during the protests.

‘The Iranian people are taking decisive steps on the field. Pahlavi said that now is the time for the international community to fully join them.

Pahlavi said countries should target the leadership and command and control structure of Iran’s elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, block the presence of religious rulers and expel the government’s diplomats from world capitals.

He also called on the world to help break the government’s communications blockade by installing Starlink satellite internet systems.

Pahlavi said a secure communication channel had been established for those who wanted to leave the government or security forces, saying tens of thousands of people had contacted him, but did not specify how he planned to establish control over the vast network of Iran’s security services, including the Revolutionary Guard.

Helping protesters succeed “does not require putting (foreign) boots on the ground,” Pahlavi said.

‘The Iranian people’s boots are already on the ground. They are the ones who walk, sacrifice and fight for their freedom every day.’

He said a democratic Iran under his leadership would have “cordial relations” with its neighbors, including Israel, a close ally of Iran in his father’s time and now a bitter enemy of the Islamic Republic.

Pahlavi will visit Israel in 2023 and meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials.

According to the human rights organization Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), more than 3,400 people have been killed by Iranian security forces since the protests broke out in late December.

The unrest, initially fueled by economic difficulties and the collapse of the currency, has evolved into broader calls for the collapse of the religious institution, posing the most serious domestic challenge to Iran’s rulers in recent years.

England, France, Germany and Italy summoned their ambassadors to Iran to protest the pressure.