US EditionIran’s Khamenei says US, Israel links behind ‘thousands killed’ in protests
Khamenei called the unrest an American plot and said over 3,000 people died, urging accountability and praising security forces for quelling protests.
- On January 17, 2026, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed President Donald Trump for deaths and destruction, accused the United States and Israel of aiding killings, and said Tehran has evidence with 'several thousand' dead.
- Earlier this month, protests that began Dec. 28 over economic hardship quickly spread nationwide, prompting Iran’s government to shut down internet and mobile services on January 8 to quell unrest.
- Khamenei said U.S. and Israeli agencies trained and recruited agents, rioters were armed with smuggled weapons, and Iran's Ministry of Intelligence arrested 3,000 with more than 22,000 detained.
- He directed state institutions, including the Foreign Ministry, to pursue America's recent crimes through legal means, insisting Iran will not start a war but will punish offenders.
- With connectivity fluctuating, rights groups and inside sources cite widely differing death tolls as a record-long internet blackout affects about 92 million people, complicating independent verification.
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228 Articles
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Rising Tensions: Khamenei and Trump Exchange Blows Over Iranian Protests
Rising Tensions: Khamenei and Trump Exchange Blows Over Iranian Protests In his recent address, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned US President Donald Trump, labeling him a 'criminal' for his support of Iranian protesters. Khamenei blamed foreign influence and accused demonstrators of causing thousands of deaths, noting that these riots had armed agitators with foreign ammunition.President Trump reacted strongly, asserting th…
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated publicly for the first time that "several thousand" had died, blaming protesters and United States authorities.
Iran's supreme leader concedes thousands killed in unrest
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said “several thousand people” died in this month’s anti-government demonstrations, his first acknowledgment of the deadly scale of the unrest. Some of those were killed “brutally and inhumanely,” Khamenei said without offering detail in a public meeting broadcast on state TV. He accused the US and Israel of aiding the killings and said the Islamic Republic has evidence to support the cl…
Rapper describes 'massacre' on Iran's streets - as supreme leader says thousands killed in protests
An Iranian rapper who took part in the country's protests has described "a massacre on the streets", suggesting foreign forces have been brought in to stamp out the protests.
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