In an exclusive interview with POLITICO, President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric against Iran’s government on Saturday, stating, “It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” and directly blaming Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for “the complete destruction of his country.”
Trump’s remarks came after he was read a series of hostile posts from Khamenei’s X account, which accused the U.S. president of being responsible for violence and unrest in Iran, prompting Trump to denounce the ayatollah as a “sick man” who relies on killing “by the thousands” to maintain control.
The exchange marks a sharpening of hostilities between Washington and Tehran following weeks of protests and deadly crackdowns in Iran, during which Trump had previously threatened military intervention before claiming the killings had stopped.