Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lashed out at President Donald Trump on Saturday, labeling him a “criminal” and accusing the US of orchestrating unrest that has erupted into the deadliest protests in decades.
“The latest anti-Iranian incitement was different because the US president got personally involved,” Iranian media quoted Khamenei as saying by Reuters.
The statement is the latest rhetoric from the Iranian government blaming the US for contributing to instability in Iran, with Tehran singling out Trump as a central figure in what it calls foreign-driven unrest. The regime also points fingers at Israel.
Protests have been raging in Iran since late December, initially over economic problems but quickly expanding into widespread demonstrations against the regime. The demonstrators have come under heavy fire from the security forces.
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sits next to the flag of the Iranian regime during an official speech in Tehran. (Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran via Getty Images)
Human rights groups say thousands of protesters have been killed in the unrest. Reports from several groups say Khamenei was responsible for the crackdown that killed thousands of protesters. US-based human rights activists in Iran estimated the death toll at 3,090 on Friday.
The number, which is larger than any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution, continues to rise.
Meanwhile, Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi told Bret Baier in a special report on Monday that at least 12,000 people had been killed.
Trump has expressed support for Iranian protesters and talked about regime change, while some Republican lawmakers have openly urged Trump to consider military action.
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Protesters burn a poster depicting Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in support of anti-government protests in Iran, in Holon, Israel, on Wednesday, January 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
The president said Tuesday he has stopped meetings with the Iranian regime, saying there would be no contact until the government stops killing protesters. He also urged the Iranian people to “take over” the country.
Asked whether Arab and Israeli officials “convinced” him not to attack Iran, Trump told reporters on Friday that he had convinced himself and cited the canceled hangings.
Trump also expressed similar sentiments on social media on Friday.
“I have great respect for the fact that all planned hangings that were supposed to take place yesterday (more than 800 of them) have been canceled by the Iranian leadership. Thank you!” Trump said this in a post on Truth Social on Friday.
It is unclear who Trump spoke to in Iran to confirm the status of possible planned executions. The statement reflects something White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday about the canceled executions. She asserted that all options remained on the table when it comes to dealing with Iran.
Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on January 9, 2026. (MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
“What I will say regarding Iran is that the president and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be serious consequences,” Leavitt told reporters Thursday. “And the President received a message when he revealed to all of you and to the entire world yesterday that the murders and executions will stop. And the President understands today that 800 executions that were planned and scheduled to take place yesterday have been halted.”
It is not clear from Trump’s post whether he was referring to the 800 executions that had already been canceled or whether there have been two consecutive days in which 800 executions have been called off.
Meanwhile, a sermon by Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, broadcast on Iran’s state radio, prompted chants from those gathered for prayer, including: “Armed hypocrites must be put to death!”
Khatami, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts and Guardian Council who has long been known for his tough stances, described the protesters as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “butlers” and “Trump’s soldiers,” the newspaper said. The Associated Press.
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He said Netanyahu and Trump should wait for “harsh revenge from the system.”
“Americans and Zionists should not expect peace,” the cleric said.
