Politics Khamenei blames Trump for mass protests in Iran
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei blames US President Donald Trump for the nationwide mass protests. Speaking to supporters in Tehran, the Ayatollah said that Trump had personally intervened in the unrest and encouraged the "insurgents" to carry on and not be afraid.
17.01.2026, 20:14
SDA
Iran considers the President of the United States a "criminal", both "because of the victims and the damage caused and because of the slander inflicted on the Iranian people", Khamenei said, according to the state broadcasting agency Iribnews. America must be held accountable, he said.
The US State Department said in Farsi, the national language, that it had received reports that Iran was preparing options for attacks on American bases. "As President Trump has repeatedly emphasized, all options remain on the table," the statement continued. Should the "Islamic Republic regime" attack American facilities, it would be confronted with a very, very strong force. "We have said this before and we say it again: do not mess with President Trump."
Khamenei acknowledged that there had been thousands of deaths during the protests. Some people had been killed in an "inhumane, brutal way". The supreme leader blamed the "insurgents" for this. Iranian activists, on the other hand, reported that security forces had acted with great violence against demonstrators and were said to have deliberately shot people in the head. This information cannot be independently verified.
The protests in Iran at the end of December were triggered by a dramatic economic crisis and very high inflation. However, the demonstrations quickly developed into political protests against the Islamic Republic's authoritarian system of rule. Security forces took violent action. Iranian human rights groups reported more than 3,400 deaths. Exact figures are difficult to verify due to the information blackout.
