Politics Iran's leader condemns protests - report of deaths
Iran's Supreme Leader has strongly condemned the nationwide protests against the country's leadership. In a speech published on Friday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke of "troublemakers" and "people who are harmful to the country".
09.01.2026, 12:17
SDA
"There are also people whose work is destruction," he said. They cause destruction "just to please the President of the United States", said the head of state, referring to Donald Trump.
The US President had repeatedly threatened the Iranian leadership with intervention should the state kill demonstrators. On Thursday evening, Iran experienced the largest demonstrations since the beginning of the current wave of protests at the end of December. The security apparatus completely shut down the internet for the population for more than 14 hours. Iranian radio published Khamenei's speech on Telegram.
Khamenei hinted at tough intervention by the security forces. "The Islamic Republic came to power with the blood of several hundred thousand honorable people," the radio station quoted him as saying. "The Islamic Republic will not give in to those who act destructively. It will not tolerate mercenary services for foreigners," he said.
Reports of numerous deaths
Meanwhile, there are increasing reports of numerous deaths after security forces allegedly opened fire on demonstrators on Thursday. Unverified videos on social networks show young people covered in blood on the floor of a building in a suburb near the capital Tehran after a rally. In a report, the state broadcaster spoke of demonstrations that had been "infiltrated by terrorist elements". According to the report, several people were killed on Thursday.
