Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday signaled a tougher crackdown on anti-government protests, accusing demonstrators of acting to please foreign powers, particularly the United States, as unrest continued across several cities despite a sweeping communications blackout. In a brief address broadcast on state TV, th86-year-old leader accused protesters of "ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy" in reference to US President Donald Trump. Khamenei called on President Trump to "focus on the problems of his own country", saying Iranian people will defeat all enemies. "The Islamic Republic came to power through the blood of hundreds of thousands of noble human beings," he said. "The Islamic Republic will not back down in the face of those who are looking to destroy us." The supreme leader's comments come shortly after Trump repeated his threat on Thursday to attack Iran if security forces kill demonstrators. Tehran is struggling to gain control of the situation, which has seen dozens of protesters and at least four members of the security forces killed since the unrest started on December 28. While President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for restraint and for the state to listen to "genuine" grievances, other voices have warned that the authorities will show no leniency, noting that the protests have received support from "foreign foes". Iranian state media broke its silence Friday over the protests, claiming "terrorist agents" of the US and Israel set fires and sparked violence. State television said there were "casualties" without providing details. The communications blackout prevented independent verification of the demonstrations' scale, though the unrest represents the most significant challenge to Iran's government in several years. Protests have intensified since beginning December 28 over the country's deteriorating economy. At least 42 people have been killed in violence around the demonstrations while more than 2,270 have been detained, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. State television claimed protests caused casualties and saw "people's private cars, motorcycles, public places such as the metro, fire trucks and buses set on fire." Trump warned last week that if Tehran "violently kills peaceful protesters," the US "will come to their rescue". In an interview on Thursday with Hugh Hewitt, Trump said Iran has been told "even more strongly than I'm speaking to you right now, that if they do that, they're going to have to pay hell. Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News Thursday night, Trump suggested Khamenei may be considering leaving Iran, saying, "He's looking to go someplace. It's getting very bad." Reza Pehlavi, the son of Iran's last shah, who was toppled by the Islamic revolution of 1979, has called for more demonstrations. Pehlavi's call "turned the tide" of the protests, Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told The Associated Press news agency, adding that social media posts show that Iranians "were taking the call seriously to protest in order to oust the Islamic republic." — Agencies
