Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, branded US President Trump a “criminal” for intervening in and inciting anti-government protests that rocked the country this past month, leading to thousands of deaths and detentions.
Khamenei said those who partook in demonstrations against the regime deserve harsh retaliatory measures, and asked authorities to “break the back of the seditionists”.
“We do not intend to lead the country to war, but we will not spare domestic criminals … and worse than domestic criminals, international criminals – we will not spare them either,” he told supporters during an address marking a religious holiday.
“By God’s grace, the Iranian nation must break the back of the seditionists just as it broke the back of previous sedition,” the supreme leader added.
The latest wave of protests in Tehran began on December 28, 2025, against an ailing economy and hyperinflation, but soon spilled across cities, leading to clashes with the police that left many dead.
According to human rights groups, as many as 3,000 people have been killed in the country so far, while regional outlets with ground sources in Tehran reported a more conservative figure of around 1,000 casualties.
Also Read: Khamenei blames US, Israel for ‘thousands killed’ in Iran
The nationwide protests have since largely subsided, a fact also confirmed by Indian citizens, including students, who returned to India from Iran early Saturday.
Schools also reopened on Sunday, following a week-long closure owing to the violent protests. State-owned media outlets reported that schools in Tehran and other cities, which were closed since January 10, “will resume classes today (Sunday).”
Additionally, internet connectivity across the country has improved slightly after 10 days of clampdown, monitoring group NetBlocks said.
“Metrics show a very slight rise in internet connectivity in Iran this morning after the 200-hour mark,” NetBlocks said on X, but added that the connection was only around 2 per cent of ordinary levels and there was no sign of “a significant return”.
Meanwhile, authorities in Iran said they had apprehended members of the Baha’i minority community over their alleged involvement in what they described were “riots”.
The Baha’i is the largest non-Muslim community in Iran, often accused of spying for Israel.
The Iranian Intelligence Ministry on Saturday claimed that “a 32-member network of the Baha’i espionage cult, who were active in the riots and acts of vandalism, had been identified; 12 main agents were arrested, and 13 were summoned”.
It said that their network was active across Iran, including its capital, Tehran, adding that “their main hideout was located in Mashhad” in the east.
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