Iran’s supreme leader has publicly acknowledged for the first time that thousands of people have been killed during recent anti-government protests, according to reporting by the BBCwhen President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric and called for new leadership in Iran.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the comments during a public speech on Saturday, blaming the US for the unrest and violence and saying some protesters died “in an inhuman, cruel way,” the BBC reported.
The protests, which began in late December over economic conditions, later expanded to calls for an end to Iran’s system of rule.
The US-based Iranian Press Agency for Human Rights Activists estimates that more than 3,000 people were killed during about three weeks of unrest, although Iranian authorities have not released an official death toll.
According to the BBC, nationwide internet shutdowns have made independent verification difficult, with connectivity falling to around 2% of normal levels, citing data from cyber monitoring group NetBlocks.
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly acknowledged on Saturday that thousands of people have been killed during recent anti-government protests. (Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran via Getty Images)
Videos verified by BBC Persian and BBC Verify show Iranian security forces shooting at protesters during the unrest.
Trump told it Politics On Saturday, he said “it is time to look for new leadership in Iran,” after reading out a series of hostile messages from Khamenei’s X account accusing the president of responsibility for the violence.
“What he is guilty of as the leader of a country is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at a level never seen before,” Trump said, according to Politico. “Leadership is about respect, not about fear and death.”
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President Donald Trump has said in recent days that he is looking at “very strong options,” including possible military involvement in Iran. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Trump continued in personal terms, telling Politico: “The man is a sick man who needs to run his country well and stop killing people.”
“His country is the worst place in the world to live because of poor leadership,” Trump added.
Trump has previously urged Iranians to keep protesting and “take over institutions,” saying “help is on the way,” according to Politico. The president later said he had been informed that the killings had stopped.
“The best decision he ever made was not to hang more than 800 people two days ago,” Trump told Politico when asked about the scope of possible US military action.
Protesters burn a poster depicting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in support of anti-government protests in Iran, in Holon, Israel, Wednesday, January 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
In a series of messages on
In another post, Khamenei claimed that “the US goal is to devour Iran.”
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Trump has said in recent days that he is looking at “very strong options,” including possible military involvement.
