Khamenei Says ‘Arrogant’ Trump Will Be ‘Overthrown’ As Protests Spread

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday launched a sharp attack on US President Donald Trump, describing him as “arrogant” and predicting his eventual “overthrow,” as protests continued to sweep across several regions.

In a statement addressing supporters, Khamenei accused Trump of embodying what he termed the excesses of global arrogance and said such leaders were destined to fall in the face of public resistance. His remarks came amid heightened political tensions and ongoing demonstrations, though he did not directly link the protests to the United States.

The comments mark another escalation in Tehran’s long-running war of words with Washington, particularly with Trump, under whose administration US-Iran relations sharply deteriorated following Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the imposition of sweeping sanctions on Iran.

Protests, driven by a mix of political, economic and social grievances, have continued to surface, drawing international attention and prompting renewed scrutiny of Iran’s internal stability and leadership rhetoric.

Human rights activists say at least 15 people have been killed. The unrest shows no sign of abating and follows a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday that if Tehran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue.”

While it remains unclear whether or how Trump might intervene, his comments triggered an immediate and angry reaction from Iranian officials, with figures in the theocracy threatening to target American troops in the Middle East. The statements also gained added significance after Trump said on Saturday that the U.S. military had captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a close ally of Tehran.

The current demonstrations are the largest Iran has seen since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody sparked nationwide protests. However, they have not yet matched the scale or intensity of the unrest that followed Amini’s death after she was detained for allegedly not wearing her hijab in line with official expectations.