Iran's top leader is signaling defiance as street unrest grows and pressure from Washington intensifies. Speaking Friday in the holy city of Qom, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that his nation wouldn't give ground to a wave of demonstrations or to President Trump's warnings about possible US action, per the Wall Street Journal. "Everyone should know that the Islamic Republic will not retreat," Khamenei told supporters, dismissing many protesters as "vandals" seeking to "please the president of the United States."
"There are people whose job is only about destruction," he said, per the New York Times. The remarks came after some of the largest protests in years swept through Tehran and dozens of other cities, per the Journal. The unrest began late last month over a crumbling currency and soaring prices, but it has increasingly taken on a political edge, with some demonstrators calling for an end to clerical rule and voicing support for Reza Pahlavi, son of the ousted shah. A human rights group in Iran says more than 2,000 people have been detained and at least 36 killed as protests have spread to 92 cities.
Government officials have publicly acknowledged economic grievances while deploying security forces to contain the crowds. Speaking on Fox News late Thursday, Trump suggested Iran's leadership could be about to fall and repeated that he might intervene if the crackdown turns more lethal, saying "the enthusiasm to overturn that regime is incredible." His comments follow the recent US operation in Caracas to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, an action that has sharpened questions in Tehran over how far DC might go.
Khamenei, who has ruled since 1989, countered by predicting Trump would ultimately meet the fate of arrogant rulers throughout history who were "overthrown at the height of their pride." "He should pay attention to the state of his own country instead," Khamenei said, per the AP. Still, analyst Mustapha Pakzad said the supreme leader's tough talk is unlikely to ease the frustrations of Iranians struggling with day-to-day survival. Iranian women, meanwhile, have their own response to Khamenei.
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