- By Ajeet Kumar
- Fri, 09 Jan 2026 03:08 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei, on Friday, criticised protesters, stating they are 'ruining their own streets' to please former US President Donald Trump. The recorded clip played on Iranian state TV, implied foreign influence behind the unrest, aiming to destabilise the nation. He clearly said, "Iran will not back down".
Khamenei's remarks underscore the regime's narrative that external forces are orchestrating the demonstrations, linking domestic dissent to international adversaries and their perceived agendas.
Khamenei, addressing the nationwide protests, for the first time in the recent weeks, shows how seriously authorities are taking the protests, which saw the Iranian government shut down the internet and telephone lines to the outside world.
Iranian protesters shouted and marched through the streets from Thursday night into Friday morning after a call by the country's exiled crown prince for demonstrations
Iranian state TV earlier alleged “terrorist agents” of the US and Israel set fires and sparked violence. It also said there were “casualties,” without elaborating
Why Iran plunged into chaos
Protests sparked by Iran's ailing economy have swept the country and turned into a significant challenge for its theocracy. People in Iran's capital shouted from their homes and rallied in the street Thursday night, witnesses said, a new escalation in the protests that have spread nationwide across the Islamic Republic. Internet access and telephone lines in Iran cut out immediately after the protests began.
Who is Iran’s exiled crown prince?
The protest represented the first test of whether the Iranian public could be swayed by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose fatally ill father fled Iran just before the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Demonstrations have included cries in support of the shah, something that could bring a death sentence in the past but now underlines the anger fuelling the protests that began over Iran's ailing economy.
Why is it a big threat to Khamenei's ruling in Iran?
Thursday saw a continuation of the demonstrations that popped up in cities and rural towns across Iran on Wednesday. More markets and bazaars shut down in support of the protesters. So far, violence around the demonstrations has killed at least 39 people while more than 2,260 others have been detained, said the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
The growth of the protests increases the pressure on Iran's civilian government and its Supreme Leader. So far, authorities haven't shut down the internet or fully flooded the streets with security forces like they did to put down the 2022 Mahsa Amini demonstrations. But any intensification may seem them act. US President Donald Trump warned intervention, thus threatning Khamenei's government. However, the exit of the Iranian supreme leader is still a big matter.
(With inputs from agencies)