image source, Getty Images
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has blamed the US and Donald Trump for “casualties, damage and propaganda” during recent protests in his country.
In a speech on Saturday, Khamenei acknowledged that thousands of people have been killed in recent unrest. Among them, he said, “some people died inhumanely and brutally”. However, he blamed ‘traitors’ for these deaths.
Khamenei also said Iran considers President Trump a “criminal” and that the United States “must be held accountable” for the recent unrest.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump urged anti-government protesters in Iran to “keep protesting” and threatened military intervention if security forces killed them.
The Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency or HRANA, a US-based Iranian human rights organization, said that 3,900 people have died in protests in Iran so far.
I will not push the country into war, but I will not spare the criminals either
image source, news media
“We will not push the country into war, but we will not spare the criminals inside the country; international criminals will not be spared either,” Khamenei said while meeting a group of his supporters.
He said, “I strongly say, the main goal of this recent fitnah was to swallow Iran.” And “since the beginning of the Islamic revolution, the United States wants to take back the power that it lost through the people and under the leadership of the imams.”
“All the policies of the United States are to not tolerate an independent country like Iran,” Khamenei said.
“Western media has intervened in cases of sedition in the past, but this time the US president himself has encouraged the sedition,” he noted.
He said, “Those who set fire, burned, rioted and destroyed in this recent fitnah are called the representatives of the Iranian people. This is a great slander against the Iranian nation. These are crimes.”
“America and the Zionist regime, both sides are criminals,” he asserted.
“The security and law enforcement forces have truly sacrificed their lives in the fight against this American and Zionist treason and have completely suppressed this conspiracy created at the enemy’s huge expense. Officials have also cooperated and the Iranian people have united to bring the matter to an end.”
The excitement didn’t stop
Earlier, President Trump thanked the leaders of the Islamic Republic “for canceling the death sentences of 800 protesters”. In response to that statement, Tehran prosecutor Ali Salehi said, “Trump always talks a lot of nonsense and for no reason, it’s absolutely wrong.”
Ali Salehi added, “Our action will be strict, preventive and swift.”
“Right now many of our cases have been sent to court with charge sheets issued,” he added.
Again, the Farsi-language account of the US State Department on social media X published a message about the possibility of an attack on US bases by Iran.
“If the Islamic Republic attacks US assets, as President Trump has said, all options are on the table and they will face a very strong response,” the message said.
Another part of the message warned, “I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again; don’t play with President Trump.”
Donald Trump has not yet responded to Khamenei’s latest statement. The BBC has contacted the White House for comment.
Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had been informed that “the killing in Iran has stopped”. However, he added, he is not completely ruling out the possibility of military action against Iran.
The comments come at a time when both the United States and the United Kingdom have reduced the number of personnel from Qatar’s Al-Udeid air base.
Officials told CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that the partial US withdrawal was a ‘precautionary measure’.
In addition, efforts to include Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in the list of terrorist organizations will continue, says Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament.
As a message to the people of Iran, he said on social media X, “This move will further weaken the ability of the Revolutionary Guards to operate with impunity and accountability, disrupt their financial flow, break their operational strategies and methods. And it will emphasize that there will be no safe haven for the Revolutionary Guards.”
image source, AROOQ KHAN/EPA/Shutterstock
The last round of protests
The Iran-Iraq border is open and many Iranians are trying to cross the border.
Several people there told the BBC Persian Service that protests continued, at least until this week. They said security forces quelled protests in their city last Friday, but protests continued elsewhere.
The Iranian government sees the protests as a threat to its existence. The crackdown on the protests appears to be paying off, with protesters now believed to be staying indoors for fear of being shot or arrested.
More than 1,500 people have been arrested in a police raid in Iran’s Gilan province.
Police said 50 of those arrested have been identified as protest leaders.
In the current protests, Iranian government officials have emphasized more than ever the need to distinguish between protesters and ‘rioters’, although the term ‘rioters’ is a term that the Iranian government has arbitrarily applied repeatedly to protesters in past nationwide protests.
On the other hand, protest programs have been seen in different parts of the world in favor of the Iranian protesters. In many places, protests were seen in favor of the Iranian government and against the United States.
A rally of Iranians in front of the Islamic Republic’s embassy in London turned violent.
London police said one protester was arrested and several police officers were injured at the gathering of Iranians in front of the embassy.
On the evening of January 16, a group of Iranians living in Britain gathered in front of the Islamic Republic’s embassy in London to show support for the ongoing nationwide protests in Iran. London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement that a protester “illegally entered private property, climbed over several balconies and onto the roof of the embassy building and lowered the flag from there”.
According to the police, 14 people, including the man, have been arrested on suspicion of vandalizing government property, unauthorized entry into diplomatic installations and assaulting policemen.
The statement also said that various objects were thrown at the policemen during the clashes between the police and the protesters, in which several policemen were injured.
Meanwhile, the European Union’s aviation regulator has advised airlines to avoid using Iranian airspace.
Iran’s airspace has been warned not to fly at all altitudes due to the risk to civil aviation.
The unrest in Iran started last December 28, centered on the economic crisis.
Since then, these protests have gradually turned into demands for the end of Iran’s supreme leader’s rule.
The Iranian government called these protests “riots” supported by Iran’s enemies.
Lethal force has been used against protesters and the internet and communication systems have been almost completely shut down.
There have been fewer reports of unrest in recent days, but the true picture of the situation remains unclear as internet access is still limited.
