{"id":560,"date":"2026-01-17T14:33:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T14:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1newsnetwork.com\/?p=560"},"modified":"2026-02-03T09:12:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T09:12:23","slug":"iranian-supreme-leader-khamenei-says-trump-responsible-for-killings-damages-during-iran-unrest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1nationmedia.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/17\/iranian-supreme-leader-khamenei-says-trump-responsible-for-killings-damages-during-iran-unrest\/","title":{"rendered":"Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei says Trump responsible for killings, damages during Iran unrest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Iran rocked by large-scale protests in recent weeks, leading to escalation of tensions with US <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n

By Syed Zafar Mehdi<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that US President Donald Trump is the \u201cmain culprit\u201d behind the casualties and damage caused during recent protests across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to a gathering in the capital Tehran, Khamenei said that during the recent \u201csedition,\u201d the US president intervened personally and \u201cissued threats, and encouraged and supported the seditionists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI say this firmly that America\u2019s goal in the recent sedition was to swallow up Iran,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anti-government protests over the deteriorating economic situation and a record depreciation of the national currency, the rial, broke out in Tehran late last month and gradually spread to other cities across Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On January 8, the protests took a violent turn after the US-based son of a former Iranian monarch urged people to take to the streets in protest against the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amid fierce street clashes between protesters and security personnel, hundreds of casualties were reported, especially in the western provinces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police said the peaceful protests were \u201chijacked by rioters,\u201d who, they claim, were supported by the US and Israeli intelligence agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attacks were reported on government buildings, police stations, shops, banks, and mosques across the country, including in Tehran, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, according to initial estimates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The official death toll is not known yet, but unofficial estimates range from hundreds to thousands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Khamenei said the US has, since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, sought to \u201crestore its dominance\u201d in Iran, adding that all administrations in Washington have followed this policy toward the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that in the past, Western media figures would be involved, but this time, the president of the US \u201chimself encouraged seditionists,\u201d referring to armed protesters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He accused the US and Israel of \u201cidentifying and training\u201d certain individuals inside Iran \u201cto create fear and carry out destruction,\u201d adding that law enforcement forces had arrested \u201ca large number of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Khamenei also said the \u201crioters\u201d burned 250 mosques across the country and attacked banks and shops as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran, he insisted, does not want war but will not let \u201cthe domestic and international criminals\u201d go unpunished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also spoke about the economic situation in the country, noting that conditions are not good and people\u2019s livelihoods are \u201ctruly under strain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Khamenei called on the authorities to work with \u201cgreater seriousness\u201d in providing essential goods, livestock feed, food, and supplies needed by people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His remarks came after Trump said he had shelved plans to strike Iran, that the country had stopped executing protesters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran\u2019s judiciary has said that so far, no one involved in the recent protests has been sentenced to death.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Iran rocked by large-scale protests in recent weeks, leading to escalation of tensions with US
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