Tehran- Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday branded US President Donald Trump a “criminal” for supporting what he described as rioters in Iran and blamed them for causing thousands of deaths.
In a speech broadcast by state television, Khamenei said the protests had left “several thousand” people dead — the first indication from an Iranian leader of the extent of the casualties from the wave of unrest that began December 28.
Ayatollah Khamenei noted that in the past, when seditions of this kind occurred in the country, it was usually American media and second-tier politicians in the United States and Europe who interfered.
However, the Iran leader said, “In the recent sedition, the distinctive feature was that the President of the United States himself intervened, made statements, encouraged the rioters, and even spoke of providing military support.”
“This clearly showed that the recent unrest was an American-instigated sedition. The Americans planned it, and based on 50 years of experience, I state decisively and explicitly that America’s goal is to devour Iran,” he reiterated.
He added that these actions are not limited to the current US administration; they reflect longstanding American policy.
“The United States cannot tolerate a country with Iran’s characteristics, capabilities, vastness, and scientific and technological progress,” the Leader noted.
“During the recent sedition, the United States portrayed those who took to the streets to set fires, burn property, cause damage, incite unrest, and carry out acts of destruction as the people of Iran,” he said, adding that this was “a grave slander against the Iranian nation, and such actions constitute a crime.”
Ayatollah described the protesters as “foot soldiers” of the United States and said they had destroyed mosques and educational centres. “Through hurting people, they killed several thousand of them,” he said.
He added that Iran’s law enforcement forces played their role effectively, and a large number of these elements were detained.
“We will not lead the country toward war, but we will also not leave domestic and international criminals unpunished,” Khamenei underlined.
In recent days, Trump had told protesting Iranians that “help is on the way” and that his administration would “act accordingly” if the killing of demonstrators continued or if Iranian authorities executed detained protesters.
An uneasy calm
There have been no signs of protests for days in Tehran, where shopping and street life have returned to normal, and Iranian state media have not reported any new unrest from anywhere in the country.
What began as peaceful protests late last month gradually turned violent, as rioters rampaged through cities across the country, killing security forces and civilians and attacking public infrastructure.
The US and Israel’s Mossad have admitted their involvement on the ground, with former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeting, “Happy New Year to every Iranian in the streets. Also, to every Mossad agent walking beside them.”
In a Farsi-language social media post, Mossad encouraged rioters to “Go out together into the streets. The time has come,” adding that Mossad agents are with the rioters “not only from a distance and verbally. We are with [them] in the field.”
Internet access briefly restored
During the protests, authorities blocked all internet access on January 8. On Saturday, text messaging and very limited internet services began functioning again briefly in parts of Iran, witnesses said.
Cellphone text messaging began operating overnight, while users were able to access local websites through a domestic internet service. Some also reported limited access to international internet services via the use of a virtual private network, or VPN.
