US President Donald Trump speaks. AFP
Trump’s remarks came after he was read a series of hostile posts published on Khamenei’s X account, in which the Iranian leader accused the US president of responsibility for violence and unrest in Iran. Khamenei said Washington was guilty of “casualties, damages and slander” inflicted on the Iranian nation, and accused Trump of misrepresenting violent groups as speaking for the Iranian people.
Responding to the posts, Trump accused Iran’s leadership of ruling through repression and violence, blaming Khamenei for what he described as the “complete destruction” of the country, according to Politico.
“What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before,” Trump told Politico. “Leadership is about respect, not fear and death.”
Trump’s comments followed weeks of unrest in Iran, during which thousands of protesters were reportedly killed, prompting repeated threats of US military intervention. Earlier this week, Trump urged Iranians to continue protesting and to “take over institutions,” saying that “help is on its way.”
Trump went further in personal criticism, denouncing both Khamenei and Iran’s system of governance, calling the country “the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership.”
The following day, however, Trump said he had been informed that the killings had stopped, and appeared to soften his tone on the scale of potential US action. Asked on Saturday about a possible military operation, he said the Iranian leader’s “best decision” had been refraining from further mass executions.
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