Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday warned the protesters, saying the Islamic Republic would "not back down" amid escalating unrest accusing "foreign-backed elements" of trying to destabilise the country. He also targeted Donald Trump, claiming the "hands of the US President are stained with the blood of Iranians" further asserting that the "arrogant" leader would eventually be overthrown.
In a speech aired on state television, the 86-year-old leader said, "Everyone should know that the Islamic Republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honorable people, and it will not back down in the face of saboteurs."
Referring to protests in Tehran, Khamenei accused demonstrators of damaging public property to please foreign powers.
He said protesters were "ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy," a reference to Donald Trump, and warned that Iran would not tolerate people acting as "mercenaries for foreigners."
"They want to make him happy. If he knew how to run a country, he would run his own," he said, adding that the United States had many internal problems.
The crowd cheered, "Death to America!"
State television also quoted Khamenei as saying "the hands of the US president are stained with the blood of more than 1,000 Iranians," referring to June US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
He asserted that the "arrogant" US leader would be "overthrown," likening him to the imperial dynasty toppled in Iran’s 1979 revolution. Further urging supporters to stand firm, Khamenei said, "Dear young people, keep your readiness and your unity. A united nation will overcome any enemy.”
Nationwide protests, communications blackout
The remarks came as Iran remained largely cut off from the outside world, with authorities imposing an internet blackout to curb the protests. Phone calls were failing to connect, flights were cancelled, and Iranian news sites were updating only intermittently, AP reported.
The protests, which began in late December over soaring inflation, have grown into the largest in three years, with unrest reported across all provinces. Rights groups say dozens have been killed.
Iran’s fragmented opposition abroad called for renewed demonstrations on Friday. Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late shah, urged people to take to the streets in a social media post saying, "The eyes of the world are upon you. Take to the streets."
Despite the communications blackout, videos shared online by activists appeared to show protesters chanting around bonfires in Tehran and other cities, with debris scattered across streets.
Iranian state television showed images it said depicted burning buses, cars and motorbikes, as well as fires at metro stations and banks. It accused the People’s Mujahedin Organisation (MKO) of being behind the unrest.
A state TV journalist reporting from Shariati Street in the Caspian Sea port of Rasht said. "This looks like a war zone – all the shops have been destroyed," Reuters reported.
State media later alleged that "terrorist agents" of the US and Israel had set fires and sparked violence, acknowledging "casualties" without giving details.
The full scale of the unrest remains unclear due to the blackout. The protests, which began on December 28, have steadily intensified and now pose the most serious challenge to Iran’s leadership in years. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 42 people have been killed and more than 2,270 detained so far.