Donald Trump said Iran should seek “new leadership”, directly challenging Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as protests in the country appeared to ease.
Trump alleged mass killings during recent protests and repeated warnings of possible US military action, further heightening tensions between Washington and Tehran.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday called for a change in Iran’s leadership, saying the decades-long rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should come to an end.
“It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” Trump said in comments to POLITICO, as nationwide protests that had demanded the removal of Iran’s leadership appeared to lose momentum.
His remarks followed a series of sharply worded posts by Khamenei on X, which accused the US president of fuelling unrest and causing deaths in Iran. The Iranian leader claimed that Trump had openly encouraged those he described as seditionists and had even promised them military backing.
In the posts, Khamenei said Trump was responsible for casualties, destruction and defamation directed at the Iranian nation, and accused him of misrepresenting violent groups as spokespeople for the Iranian people.
Trump rejected the accusations, arguing that Iran’s leadership maintains control through intimidation and brutality. “What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of that country and the use of violence at levels never seen before,” Trump told POLITICO.
He said true leadership was rooted in legitimacy and public trust, not repression. “Leadership is about respect, not fear and death,” he added.
The US president also accused Khamenei of presiding over widespread killings during recent demonstrations. Trump claimed that thousands of protesters had been killed over the past three weeks, prompting repeated warnings from Washington of possible military action.
Earlier in the week, Trump had urged Iranians to continue protesting and to “take over institutions”, promising that “help is on its way”. The following day, he said he had been informed that the violence had subsided.
“The best decision he ever made was not hanging more than 800 people two days ago,” Trump said on Saturday when asked about the scope of a potential US military response.
Trump went on to criticise Iran’s political system and Khamenei personally, saying the country’s troubles stemmed from years of misrule. “The man should run his country properly and stop killing people,” he said.
The exchange reflects sharply rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, coming shortly after Khamenei claimed in a public address that “the Iranian nation has defeated America”.
