In a significant escalation of rhetoric, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for authorities to decisively confront what he termed ‘seditionists,’ directly blaming U.S. President Donald Trump for casualties during recent nationwide demonstrations. The address, broadcast on state television Saturday, came after weeks of the most substantial anti-government protests to challenge the Islamic Republic in over three years.
The unrest, initially sparked by economic grievances, transformed into broad opposition against Iran’s clerical leadership before being suppressed through a severe crackdown that included a nationwide internet blackout lasting more than a week. While Iranian authorities claim to have restored calm and labeled the demonstrations as ‘riots,’ independent rights organizations report thousands of fatalities and arrests during the suppression campaign.
Khamenei’s speech framed the protests as an ‘American conspiracy’ designed to reestablish Western ‘military, political and economic domination’ over Iran. He asserted that while Iran doesn’t seek conflict, it ‘will not spare domestic criminals’ and accused Trump of responsibility for the violence and accusations against Iran.
The verification of casualties remains profoundly challenging due to ongoing internet restrictions, though multiple sources indicate a substantial death toll. Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) has documented 3,428 verified fatalities while cautioning that the actual number could be significantly higher. Some estimates, including from opposition media outside Iran, suggest figures ranging from 5,000 to as many as 20,000 killed.
Meanwhile, partial internet restoration has begun after approximately 200 hours of complete shutdown, though connectivity remains severely limited. The government prosecutor dismissed Trump’s recent claims about halted executions as ‘nonsense,’ maintaining that the state’s response had been ‘firm, dissuasive and swift.’
Internationally, protests continue in diaspora communities across Europe, while Reza Pahlavi—son of the deposed Shah—has called for renewed demonstrations within Iran, though rights monitors report no verifiable protests in recent days amid heavy security deployments.