Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday accused US President Donald Trump of being responsible for the “victims” during the wave of protests in the country. According to human rights groups, nationwide mass demonstrations in Iran were bloodily suppressed by the Iranian government, TASR reports, according to a report by AFP.
- Khamenei accused Trump of responsibility for the victims of the protests.
- The Iranian government bloodily suppressed mass demonstrations in the country.
- Khamenei called the protests an American conspiracy against Iran.
- Demonstrations subsided after harsh interventions by security forces.
- Internet access in Iran remains interrupted.
Khamenei: America’s goal is to absorb Iran
“We hold the American president responsible for the victims, damages and accusations he made against the Iranian nation,” Khamenei declared to a crowd of supporters during a speech on the occasion of the religious holiday.
“This was an American plot,” he added, adding that “America’s goal is to absorb Iran … the goal is to return Iran to military, political and economic dominance.”
Khamenei also said on Saturday that Iranian authorities “must break the backs of the rebels” after cracking down on a wave of protests against the country’s clerics.
According to activists, 2,700 people died during the protests
“We do not intend to lead the country to war, but we will not spare domestic criminals… worse than domestic criminals, nor will we spare international criminals,” Khamenei said.
Protests in Iran began on December 28 in connection with the country’s economic problems and grew into demonstrations directly threatening the theocratic regime, AP wrote. However, it seems that they have died down in the meantime after the harsh interventions of the security forces, during which, according to activists, more than 2,700 people died.
Trump: The US could strike Iran militarily if it violently suppresses the protests
The head of the White House has hinted in recent days that the US could strike Iran militarily if the Islamic Republic’s government starts mass killing people during large-scale protests. He previously wrote about Iran and the protesters there: “Help is on the way.” However, when asked if that was still the case, he replied on Friday: “We’ll see.”
There have been no signs of protests in Tehran for several days, and life there appears to have returned to at least a semblance of normality, although internet access remains disrupted.
