Iran: The Iranian president warns the United States that attacking Ali Khamenei would be “a total war”

The Iranian president also blamed the United States and its allies for the economic difficulties that Iran is going through, due to what he described as “historic enmity and inhumane sanctions,” in response to Trump’s statements on Saturday, when he assured that 37 years of Khamenei’s leadership have led the country to “total destruction.”

The American president stated in an interview with Politico that “it is time to look for new leadership in Iran” and accused Khamenei of “using violence at levels never seen before,” with the death of “thousands of people to maintain control.”

The Republican leader had already threatened to intervene militarily if the Iranian authorities violently repressed the anti-government protests, which began on December 28 due to the deterioration of the economic situation and soon spread throughout the country with slogans in favor of the end of the Islamic Republic.

The mobilizations reached their peak on January 8 and 9.

According to the opposition NGO Iran Human Rights, based in Oslo, the repression has caused more than 3,400 deaths.

Iran’s supreme leader himself acknowledged on Saturday the death of “several thousand” people during the mobilizations, but held Trump responsible for what happened, considering that the United States instigated and encouraged the riots with the aim of destabilizing the country.

Iranian authorities have denounced that armed elements they describe as terrorists, linked to the United States and Israel, infiltrated the demonstrations and were responsible for the deaths.