Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, January 17, 2026, branded U.S. President Donald Trump a “criminal” for supporting protesters in Iran, and blamed demonstrators 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 protests that began on December 28, 2025, and led to a bloody crackdown.

“In this revolt, the U.S. president made remarks in person, encouraged seditious people to go ahead and said: ‘We do support you, we do support you militarily,’” said Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters. He reiterated an accusation that the U.S. seeks domination over Iran’s economic and political resources.

“We do consider the U.S. president a criminal, because of casualties and damages, because of accusations against the Iranian nation,” he said.

He 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.

In response, Trump called for an end to Khamenei’s nearly 40-year reign.

“The man is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people,” Trump told Politico in an interview Saturday. “His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership.”

“It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” he added.

Trump had sounded a conciliatory tone

The back-and-forth rhetoric came a day after Trump sounded a conciliatory tone, saying that “Iran cancelled the hanging of over 800 people,” and adding that “I greatly respect the fact that they cancelled.” He did not clarify whom he spoke to in Iran to confirm the state of any planned executions. His comments were a sign he may be backing away from a military strike.

The official IRNA news agency reported that Tehran Prosecutor Gen. Ali Salehi, referring to Trump’s remarks about the cancellation of the death sentence of 800 protesters, said: “Trump always makes futile and irrelevant statements. Our attitude is severe, preventive and fast.” He did not elaborate.

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.

In his speech, Khamenei said rioters were armed with live ammunition that was imported from abroad, without naming any countries.

“We do not plan, we do not take the country toward war. But we do not release domestic offenders, worse than domestic offenders; there are international offenders. We do not let them alone either,” he said, and urged officials to pursue the cases.