By Emmanuel Bobby
President Donald Trump on Saturday openly called for regime change in Iran amid weeks of nationwide protests that have shaken the country.
“It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” Trump said in an interview with Politico.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks.
Trump’s comments followed a defiant address earlier Saturday by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who accused Trump of encouraging unrest. Khamenei said Iran views Trump “as a criminal, both for the casualties, for the damages, and for the slander directed at the Iranian nation.”
Khamenei claimed that key agitators had been detained and said the protests were largely under control. Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency also reported that demonstrations had mostly subsided.
Trump, however, sharply criticized Iran’s leadership, describing Khamenei as “a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people.”
“His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership,” Trump said.
A spokesperson for Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations declined to comment on Trump’s statements.
The protests, which began weeks ago, have resulted in a deadly government crackdown. Thousands of demonstrators have been killed, according to human rights groups. Earlier this week, Trump encouraged Iranians to continue protesting, urging them to “take over institutions” and telling them that “help is on its way.”
On Friday, Trump appeared to soften his tone slightly, saying he “greatly” respected reports that “over 800” scheduled executions had been canceled by Iran’s leadership. Iran’s judiciary said Thursday that one man facing the death penalty would not be executed, though the White House did not provide evidence to support Trump’s broader claim that hundreds of executions had been halted.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that at least 3,090 people have been killed and more than 22,000 arrested since the unrest began. The organization said it relies on a network of sources inside Iran and conducts multiple internal checks due to the lack of official government data.
On Saturday, Khamenei acknowledged for the first time that thousands had been killed during the protests, marking a significant increase from previous official statements that cited only hundreds of deaths.
Meanwhile, tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate. U.S. officials said this week that the Defense Department is preparing to send additional military forces and assets to the Middle East to strengthen regional security and prepare for possible Iranian retaliation. The deployments include a carrier strike group, additional aircraft, and land-based air defense systems.
The United States has also begun evacuating key personnel from its largest military base in the region as Trump weighs potential military action against Iran.
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