Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused protesters of acting to please President Trump as demonstrations continued across the country despite a nationwide internet and telephone blackout.
In a televised address on Friday, Khamenei said protesters were “ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy,” while signalling a tougher response from authorities as crowds chanted “Death to America.”
Protests intensified after exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi called for mass demonstrations, with activists sharing videos of chanting crowds and burning debris before communications were cut.
Iranian state media blamed what it called “terrorist agents” backed by the US and Israel for the unrest, as rights groups reported at least 42 deaths and more than 2,270 arrests since protests began late December over Iran’s worsening economic crisis.