THE GUARDIAN: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls protesters ‘vandals’ and ‘saboteurs’ and blames the US for instigating the unrest
Iran’s supreme leader has vowed that authorities will “not back down” in the face of growing protests, blaming the US for instigating demonstrations that started over economic conditions and have since expanded to calls for political reform.
In his first speech since the protests started 13 days ago, the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, signalled on Friday that a greater crackdown was coming. He described protesters as “vandals” and “saboteurs”, and accused them of working on behalf of foreign agendas.
Protesters are “ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy … because he said he would come to their aid”, Khamenei said – a reference to Donald Trump, who has threatened American intervention in Iran if authorities kill protesters.
The US president, in an interview with Fox News on Thursday, suggested the supreme leader was preparing to flee Iran. “He’s looking to go somewhere. It’s getting very bad,” Trump said.
In a separate speech, the head of Iran’s judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, said consequences for demonstrators would be “decisive, maximum and without any legal leniency”. » | William Christou and Deepa Parent | Friday, January 9, 2026
