US President Donald Trump has called for an end to the decades-long rule of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying it is "time to look for new leadership in Iran" as anti-government protests intensify across the country, driven by soaring inflation, economic hardship, and mounting public anger over governance.
In an interview with Politico, the US President said that they criticised Tehran's leadership, saying they rely on violence and repression to maintain control. "What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before," Trump said, as quoted by Politico.
"In order to keep the country functioning--even though that function is a very low level--the leadership should focus on running his country properly, like I do with the United States, and not killing people by the thousands in order to keep control," he added.
The US President further noted that "leadership" is built on respect, not "fear and death". Trump further denounced Khamenei personally, calling him "a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people," and described Iran as "the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership," as reported by Politico.
Khamenei blames US for unrest
Trump made the remarks after being briefed on a series of hostile posts shared by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on X, in which the Iranian Supreme Leader blamed the US president for deaths and unrest in Iran.
The leader of the Islamic Republic also accused Trump of misrepresenting violent groups as reflecting the will of the Iranian people, calling it "an appalling slander".
"The US President introduced the groups who committed acts of vandalism, arson, and murdered people as 'the Iranian nation.' He uttered an appalling slander against the Iranian people. We find the US President guilty for this slander," Khamenei said.
"The US President sent a message to the seditionists saying he would support them and provide military support. In other words, the US President himself was involved in the sedition. These are criminal acts," he added.
3,308 people killed in unrest
According to the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA), nationwide protests in Iran have entered their twenty-first day, with internet blackouts and heavy security crackdowns continuing across the country. Confirmed reports from HRANA state that 3,308 people have died so far during the protests, with an additional 4,382 cases still under investigation.
So far, 2,107 individuals have been recorded with serious injuries, and authorities have confirmed the arrest of at least 24,266 people.
Meanwhile, Khamenei, for the first time, acknowledged that "several thousand people" have lost their lives during the unrest.
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