U.S. President Donald Trump issued a harsh statement regarding the mass protests in Iran, calling on the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to step down. He placed direct responsibility on Khamenei for the deaths of protesters and for the country’s ongoing turmoil.
“It is time for Iran to look for new leadership. The best decision he (Khamenei) has made in his life was not hanging more than 800 people two days ago,” Trump said in a comment to Politico.
This statement came amid reports that the large-scale protests demanding the resignation of the ruling regime had begun to subside.
Trump’s remarks followed a series of strong posts published by Khamenei on the social platform X, where he blamed the U.S. president for the violence and unrest in Iran.
“We consider the U.S. president responsible for the victims, the damage, and the defamation inflicted on the Iranian people,” Khamenei wrote.
In another post, he accused Trump of portraying violent groups as representatives of the Iranian people.
The White House leader, in turn, emphasized that “the authorities in Tehran rely on repression and violence.”
It is worth noting that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ruled Iran for 37 years and is considered the central figure in the country’s political and religious system. Iran’s official authorities have not yet commented on Trump’s statement.
Earlier, on January 13, President Trump urged Iranians to continue protesting, “take over institutions,” and document the names of “killers and abusers,” warning that they would “pay a big price.”
“I have suspended all meetings with Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops. Help is on the way,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The next day, January 14, Trump stated that he had been informed that the killings in Iran had “slowed down.” However, many protesters described this as a “betrayal” by the U.S. president.
“A very important source has told us from the other side that executions in Iran have stopped. Whether this is true or not, we will find out. I hope it is,” Trump told journalists, though he did not identify the source.
When asked whether the United States was considering military action against Iran, Trump did not rule out possible operations, saying that “we are monitoring the process.”
