After reading a series of social media posts from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, on Saturday, President Donald Trump called for “new leadership” in Iran, reported.
The remarks are the latest in a series of from the president regarding Iran’s leadership in the last week, as he has considered military intervention in response to a crackdown that has led to the deaths of thousands of protesters.
Trump’s comments came during an interview with POLITICO in which a series of from Khamenei on X on Saturday were read to him, blaming Trump for the deaths of protesters in Iran.
“It’s time to seek new leadership in Iran,” Trump responded.
“As the leader of a country, what he is guilty of is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at unprecedented levels,” Trump continued. “To keep the country functioning — even if that function is at a very low level — the leadership should focus on properly running his country, as I do with the United States, and not killing thousands of people to maintain control.”
In a series of messages posted on Saturday, Khamenei blamed Trump for the violence in Iran and said the U.S. “must be held accountable.”
“We hold the US President guilty due to the casualties, damages, and slander he has inflicted on the Iranian nation,”.
“The US had made extensive preparations to stage this sedition. This sedition was a prelude to even bigger schemes. The Iranian nation defeated the US,” he wrote in another.
It is unclear who read the posts to Trump, but the president’s reaction indicates the fragility of the current peace between the U.S. and Iran. Trump said he was presented with several “very strong options” to strike Iran last week after the death toll from the protest crackdown reached the hundreds.
On Tuesday, as the death toll gradually rose into the thousands, it seemed Trump was on the verge of authorizing strikes when he told protesters that “help was on its way.”
“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a heavy price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”
By Friday, however, Trump’s tone suddenly changed when he thanked Iran’s leaders for apparently cancelling 800 executions, without providing evidence.
“I greatly respect that all scheduled hangings, which were to occur yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!” Trump on Truth Social.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, or HRANA, stated that it had verified 3,090 deaths in Iran, including 2,885 protesters, and over 22,000 arrests.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
