In an interview with Politico, Trump maintained that the current Iranian regime has lost legitimacy and accused Tehran authorities of resorting to repression to stay in power. I have stated that political leadership must be based on respect, not fear. “It's time to look for new leadership in Iran,” Trump declared in the interview. The US president's remarks came after Khamenei blamed Washington for the deaths and damage during the protests, calling them part of a foreign plot to destabilize Iran. Trump rejected that version and directly blamed the Iranian leadership for the violence. “What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the total destruction of the country and the use of violence on a scale never seen before,” Trump stated in the interview. He added that governing involves managing a country and not “killing thousands of people to maintain control.”

Why did the protests begin?

The protests began on December 28, when Tehran merchants closed their businesses in rejection of the devaluation of the rial. In the following days, the demonstrations spread throughout the country and evolved into slogans against the Islamic Republic and against Khamenei.

The peak of the mobilizations was recorded on January 8 and 9, with widespread protests, acts of vandalism against public buildings, looting of banks, and the burning of 53 mosques, according to figures from the Iranian government.

Tehran authorities maintain that the demonstrations, initially motivated by the economic crisis, turned violent due to the infiltration of external agents backed by the United States and Israel, with the aim of provoking a military intervention, which has not yet materialized.

Trump previously warned that the United States could act if the number of victims increased, when the initial official count was seven dead,and later stated that “help is on the way,” a phrase that was interpreted as a warning.

This Saturday, Khamenei claimed that “several thousand” people have died during the protests. In contrast, opposition organizations in exile estimate 3,428 deaths and some 19,000 detainees, figures that have not been independently confirmed.