Defying Trump Warning, Iran’s Supreme Leader Says Protesters Must Be ‘Put in Their Place’

Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, is speaking out for the first time about the violent unrest spreading across his country with a defiant rejection of theats from America. Street protests that started almost a week ago continued across the country Sunday evening Tehran-time and numerous deaths have been reported.In remarks aired on Iranian television on Saturday, Mr. Khamanei said rioters should be “put in their place” and pledged that the Islamic Republic “will not yield to the enemy.”President Trump had said a day earlier that America would come to the aid of protesters and warned the regime not to use live ammunition on the protesters.“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.The threat took on added significance with Saturday’s military action to capture President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela.Nevertheless, there are news reports that security forces are firing on protesters. The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, which is monitoring the situation, said in a Saturday X post that at least four Kurdish individuals were killed by direct fire from government forces and more than 30 others injured during public protests in Malekshahi County, Ilam Province.Rights groups say that more than 10 people have been killed across the country and many others have been rounded up by security forces.Demonstrations have taken place in 46 cities spanning 22 of Iran’s 31 provinces, the Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. The protests have included 15 student gatherings at 13 universities.One of Mr. Khamanei’s top aides, the former parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, had previously responded to Mr. Trump’s post.“With statements from Israeli officials and @realDonaldTrump, what was happening behind the scenes has become clear,” Mr. Larijani said in an X post.“We distinguish between the position of the protesting merchants and the actions of the sabotage elements, and Trump must realize that U.S. intervention in this internal matter will lead to destabilizing the entire region and destroying American interests.“The American people must know that Trump is the one who started this adventure, and they should pay attention to the safety of their soldiers,” Mr. Larijani continued.Mr. Trump’s message contrasts sharply with the response of other American presidents to protests since the 1979 Khomeini revolution.President Obama did not publicly back the “green movement” protests in 2009, acknowledging in 2022 that his reticence “was a mistake.”The latest protests began among merchants angered by a rapid weakening of Iran’s currency, but have widened into anti-government demonstrations, the Associated Press reported. Iran’s economy has been hit hard by sanctions tied to its nuclear program.Iran’s leadership has vowed to continue nuclear development despite Israeli and American military strikes in June against nuclear sites and scientists reportedly tied to the development program.

Defying Trump Warning, Iran’s Supreme Leader Says Protesters Must Be ‘Put in Their Place’

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