Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Sunday that any attack on the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would be a declaration of war.
In an apparent response to speculation that Donald Trump is considering an attempt to assassinate or overthrow Khamenei, Pezeshkian said in a post on X: "An attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation."
The Iranian president also blamed the US for the protests that have rocked Iran over the past two weeks and led to thousands of deaths among demonstrators, writes The Guardian, the Telegraph reports.
"If there are difficulties and restrictions in the lives of the beloved people of Iran, one of the main causes is the long-standing hostility and inhumane sanctions imposed by the US government and its allies," Pezeshkian said.
Trump, in an interview with Politico on Saturday, called for an end to Khamenei's nearly 40-year reign, calling him "a sick man who needs to run his country properly and stop killing people."
The latest wave of unrest in Iran began on December 28 when widespread anger over rising inflation, a falling currency and economic hardship spread from Tehran to cities across the country, quickly transforming demonstrations over the cost of living into widespread anti-government protests demanding regime change.
As the movement grew, Iranian authorities responded on January 8 with a near-total shutdown of internet and phone services, cutting off most global connections in an effort to suppress communication, obscure the scale of the unrest, and stifle independent reporting, leaving many Iranians isolated from the outside world.
Last Tuesday, Trump called on Iranians to continue protesting and "take control of your institutions," telling them that "help is on the way," as reports grew that an attack on Iran was imminent.
On Wednesday, the US came close to launching military strikes on Iran, but ultimately backed down as Trump chose to hold off amid mounting regional and diplomatic pressure.
The American news website Axios reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had warned Trump that Israel was not prepared for Iranian retaliation and questioned the effectiveness of a US strike.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had also urged restraint, according to Axios, citing risks to regional stability. /Telegrafi/
