Iran's supreme leader has issued a stark warning of a severe crackdown on nationwide protests, with a Tehran prosecutor stating some demonstrators could face the death penalty. The warning comes as former US President Donald Trump declared America would "get involved" if the Iranian government "starts killing people".
Supreme Leader Accuses Protesters of Acting for Trump
In a brief address, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused protesters of being foreign agents. He claimed "vandals and rioters" were "ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy", an apparent reference to Donald Trump. Khamenei stated Tehran would not tolerate people acting as "mercenaries for foreigners".
The demonstrations, which represent the most significant challenge to Iran's leadership in years, began in Tehran last month. They were initially triggered by a sharp devaluation of the rial currency but have since expanded to all 31 of the country's provinces, fuelled by widespread economic discontent.
Death Penalty Warning and Internet Blackout
Following the supreme leader's comments, Tehran prosecutor Ali Salehi explicitly raised the possibility of capital punishment for some protesters. According to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, Salehi said acts of vandalism targeting public property could be considered "moharebeh", which translates to "waging war against God" and carries the death penalty.
"We will not show leniency toward armed terrorists," Mr Salehi warned. "Their sentence is moharebeh." Tasnim also reported that several police officers were shot dead by "armed protesters".
Authorities have moved to quell the unrest by imposing a nationwide internet blackout, which also affected international phone calls. The blackout began late on Thursday and extended into Friday, largely cutting Iran off from the outside world, according to the monitoring group NetBlocks.
International Reaction and Rising Casualties
The situation has drawn sharp international criticism. The leaders of the UK, France, and Germany issued a joint statement "strongly condemning" the killing of protesters and expressing deep concern over violence by security forces. The UN's human rights agency said it was "disturbed" by reports of violence, including deaths and property destruction.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, the death toll from the recent violence has reached at least 62, with more than 2,300 people detained. Iranian state media has blamed the protests on "terrorist agents" from the United States and Israel.
Former US President Donald Trump, 79, praised the protests during a White House briefing, stating, "Iran's in big trouble." He added, "If they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved... We'll be hitting them very hard where it hurts." He also speculated that the 86-year-old Supreme Leader might be "looking to go someplace" due to the severity of the crisis.
The protests gained momentum following a call from exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi for a mass demonstration. Pahlavi, the son of Iran's last monarch, who fled in 1979, urged Iranians to "take to the streets". He later stated that the regime had cut communication lines in response to people demanding their freedom.
