Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused US President Donald Trump of being responsible for deaths and damage during Iran’s recent wave of protests, branding him a “criminal” and claiming Washington orchestrated the unrest.Speaking on Saturday, Khamenei said the United States and Trump personally were behind the demonstrations that swept the country and were met with a violent crackdown. “We consider the US president a criminal for the casualties, damages, and the slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation,” he said, according to Iran International.Khamenei alleged that the protests were part of an American plot aimed at undermining Iran and extending US domination. “The recent unrest was an American plot, and the United States’ goal is to devour Iran,” he said, adding that Trump had “intervened in this unrest, made statements, encouraged the rioters, and said we will provide military support”.The Supreme Leader rejected international portrayals of the demonstrations as a popular uprising, accusing the US president of misrepresenting “vandals” as the Iranian people. He praised the authorities’ response to the unrest and issued a warning to those he said were behind it. “The Iranian nation, just as it broke the back of the riot, must also break the back of those who instigated it,” Khamenei said. He added that Iran would not forgive “domestic and international criminals” linked to the protests.Khamenei’s remarks came as Iran returned to an uneasy calm following weeks of demonstrations that began over economic grievances and escalated into direct challenges to the country’s leadership. The protests have largely subsided after a sweeping crackdown, with no major unrest reported in Tehran for several days, though internet restrictions remain in place.Human rights groups say the crackdown has been particularly deadly. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has put the death toll at more than 3,000, though Iran has not released official casualty figures and the number has not been independently verified.Despite Khamenei’s combative tone, Trump has recently struck a more conciliatory note, publicly thanking Iran’s leaders for not carrying out mass executions of detained protesters. He has described executions and the killing of peaceful demonstrators as red lines for possible US action, but has also signalled reluctance to escalate tensions further.Hard-line voices within Iran, however, have echoed Khamenei’s accusations. Senior clerics have called for harsh punishments for detained protesters and issued threats against both Trump and Israel.`
