Khamenei Asserts Protesters Must Be 'Put in Their Place' Amid Ongoing Unrest

Khamenei Reaffirms Iran's Stance on Protests

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, stated that "protesters must be put in their place" following a week of protests that have rocked the Islamic Republic. Khamenei's first comments, made on Saturday at the age of 86, come in the context of violence surrounding demonstrations related to Iran's economic crisis, resulting in at least 10 deaths.

The protests are ongoing with no signs of abating, and U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened Iran, claiming that if Tehran "violently kills peaceful protesters," Washington will "intervene." While it remains uncertain how Trump will act, his comments have elicited a furious response from Iranian officials.

Iran's ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, wrote to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the UN Security Council, urging them to condemn Trump's "illegal threats." Ali Larijani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, remarked that U.S. intervention "is equivalent to chaos throughout the region and the destruction of U.S. interests."

The protests have become the largest in Iran since 2022, when the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. Although the current protests have not reached the intensity of last year’s, they are fueled by severe economic crisis, with demonstrators expressing dissatisfaction with both the Iranian government and rising living costs.

Khamenei stated that authorities must engage in dialogue with the protesters but emphasized that "there is no benefit in talking to lawbreakers," whom he considers incited by foreign forces such as Israel and the United States, despite not providing concrete evidence to support his claims.

Furthermore, Khamenei declared that the U.S. "must and will leave" the region, asserting that "with the determination of the nations in the region, America must and will depart." He also blamed "enemies" for the collapse of the national currency, the rial, adding that "a group of incited or enemy-employed individuals" has joined merchants, chanting slogans against Islam and the Islamic Republic.