Iran's supreme leader calls Trump a 'criminal' over protest support
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused U.S. President Donald Trump of being a “criminal” for supporting Iranian protesters and blamed the demonstrators for causing thousands of deaths during recent unrest.
- Khamenei claimed the protests, which began on December 28, resulted in “several thousand” deaths, marking the first official acknowledgment of the high casualty toll from the government.
- Trump had recently taken a more conciliatory tone, praising Iran for reportedly canceling the execution of over 800 protesters, though Iranian officials dismissed his remarks as irrelevant.
- After a harsh crackdown, Iran has returned to uneasy calm with no new protests reported in Tehran, and limited internet and text messaging services have been briefly restored following a near-total
