Iran’s Khamenei blames Trump for casualties during protests
Shafaq News– Tehran
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday accused US President Donald Trump of responsibility for casualties during recent protests in Iran, describing him as a criminal.
In a public speech, Khamenei said Trump was involved in “recent incitement and sedition against Iran” as a prelude to a larger action that the United States had intended to carry out, revealing that Iranian authorities had arrested a large number of “instigators and leaders of riots, acts of sabotage, and criminal activity.”
“Iran will not be drawn into war, but it will not allow domestic and international criminals to escape punishment,” Khamenei affirmed, claiming that among the protesters there was a group involved in the unrest, and received training alongside funding from foreign intelligence services inside and outside Iran. He added that another group had no links to Israel or its intelligence agencies, but consisted of “naive adolescents” who were misled by false information and committed what he described as shameful acts.
According to Khamenei, the disturbances led to the destruction of about 250 mosques and more than 250 educational and scientific centers. He said the unrest also caused damage to the electricity sector, banks, medical complexes, and food stores.
Earlier, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that more than 3,000 people have been killed in Iran’s ongoing protests, while nationwide internet access remains largely cut, with only minimal improvement after weeks of near-total disruption.
The unrest began on December 28 after the Iranian rial fell to about 1.45 million per US dollar, fueling sharp food price increases and inflation. Iranian authorities have acknowledged roughly 2,000 deaths. Iranian officials have repeatedly accused the United States and Israel of seeking to destabilize the country, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi asserting that protests began peacefully and within constitutional bounds before turning violent following the “infiltration of armed groups.”
