Overview
- In a state TV speech, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei labeled President Donald Trump a “criminal” and held him responsible for casualties and damage linked to the protests.
- Khamenei said the turmoil left “several thousand” dead, the first time Iran’s leadership has cited a toll on that scale, while accusing the U.S. and Israel of directing the violence.
- He stated that Iran does not seek war yet vowed consequences for what he called domestic and international criminals.
- Trump responded by urging a new government in Iran and calling Khamenei “sick,” after days of encouraging protesters and claiming executions were halted, a claim Iranian officials dismissed.
- Rights group HRANA reports roughly 3,000 or more deaths that AP cannot independently verify; protests have subsided after a crackdown, and internet and SMS access saw brief, limited restoration tracked by NetBlocks and Cloudflare.