Iran has defeated the US – Khamenei

Washington must be held accountable for instigating unrest in the country, the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader has said

Iran has prevailed over the US by curbing the violent protests that gripped the country, the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said.

Demonstrations erupted throughout Iran in late December over high inflation and other economic troubles, but soon evolved into broader anti-government protests with clashes that left hundreds dead among both the security forces and the rioters.

Earlier this week, however, the authorities in Tehran announced that they had brought the situation under control, with calm returning to the country’s major cities.

In a series of posts on X on Saturday, Khamenei accused the US and Israel of masterminding the unrest, while singling out Washington as the main culprit.

“The US had made extensive preparations to orchestrate this sedition. This sedition was a prelude to even bigger schemes. The Iranian nation defeated the US,” he wrote.

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Donald Trump “himself was involved in the sedition,” the supreme leader insisted, referring to the US president’s promise to the protestors that “help is on its way” and the deployment of American warships to the Middle East.

Reuters reported on Wednesday that a US strike on Iran was “imminent.” However, the attack ultimately did not take place, with Trump saying later that he had decided to call it off after learning that Tehran had reversed its plans to execute the more violent rioters detained during the unrest.

“Yes, we extinguished the fire of the sedition, but that isn’t enough. The US must be held accountable,” Khamenei insisted.

The authorities in Tehran “do not intend to lead the country toward war. However, we will not just let go of the criminals” both inside and outside Iran, he added.

In another report, Reuters claimed that a senior Iranian official told the agency that Tehran had warned its neighbors that it could target US bases in the Middle East if Washington fulfilled its threat to strike the Islamic Republic.

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According to the supreme leader, “agents” of the US and Israel “murdered several thousand people” during the riots. They “vandalized” 250 mosques and more than 250 educational institutions, while also damaging the power grid and healthcare facilities, he said.