Khamenei brands Trump ‘guilty’ of Iran’s woes as protests rage on

Abdullateef Fowewe

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has escalated rhetoric against US President Donald Trump, declaring him “guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation.”

“We find the US President guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation,” he wrote on X.

The fiery speech revives old wounds from Trump’s first term, including the 2020 assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA nuclear deal, and “maximum pressure” sanctions.

Khamenei’s remarks come amid the recent massive anti-government protests sweeping Iran, which Trump addressed in a recent interview with Sean Hannity. Describing the unrest as unprecedented, Trump warned of severe U.S. retaliation if authorities crack down violently.

“The crowds are just—they’re massive. The enthusiasm to overturn that regime is incredible,” Trump said, noting some deaths from stampedes but praising the regime’s restraint so far from its history of mass shootings.

He reiterated his hardline stance: “I said, if they do that, we’re gonna hit them very hard. We’re ready to do it. If they do that, we’re gonna hit them hard.”