Trump says Iran needs ‘new leadership’ amid ongoing protests
President Donald Trump, in an interview with POLITICO on Saturday, said “it’s time to look for new leadership in Iran” amid protests across the country against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime.
“[Khamenei] is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people,” Trump told Politico. “His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership.”
Demonstrations started earlier this month amid rising inflation and economic instability, leading people to start calling for an end to clerical rule.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said as of Sunday, 3,919 people have been killed, and it is investigating thousands of more deaths. The number of people severely injured is 2,109, and 24,669 are confirmed to be detained.
“Alongside these developments, numerous reports have emerged of increased pressure on families, difficulties in handing over the bodies of those killed, and the continuation of a heavy security atmosphere in some regions,” HRANA said.
Despite Iran’s government shutting down the internet, people have been able to get limited and unstable connectivity in some parts of the country. HRANA said images and reports from forensic medicine centers, morgues, and burial sites indicate a large number of bodies weren’t handed over.
Trump and his administration voiced support for those taking part in demonstrations, including on Tuesday, when the president encouraged them to “KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!”
However, on Wednesday, Trump then said he was informed “the killing in Iran is stopping — it’s stopped — it’s stopping.”
But on Saturday, to Politico, Trump again criticized Iran’s leaders, saying they rely on repression and violence, and acknowledged the killings hadn’t stopped.
“What [Khamenei] is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before,” Trump said. “In order to keep the country functioning — even though that function is a very low level — the leadership should focus on running his country properly, like I do with the United States, and not killing people by the thousands in order to keep control.”
Earlier that day, Khamenei posted comments on X blaming Trump for the unrest.
“We find the U.S. President guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation,” Khamenei wrote in one post.
In a speech Saturday, Khamenei acknowledged thousands have died in Iran — but did not take responsibility for the killings. Instead, he continued to say “those linked” to Israel and U.S. caused “massive damage and killed several thousand,” according to the BBC.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
