Leader raps Trump for harming Iran

TABNAK, Jan. 17 - Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei held US President Donald Trump accountable for inflicting damages on the Iranian nation.

News ID: 7111

Date: 18 January 2026 - 10:39

Thousands of Iranian people met with Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran on Saturday on the occasion of Eid al-Mab’ath, the anniversary of the appointment of Muhammad (PBUH) as the last and greatest prophet of God.

In remarks at the meeting, the Leader expounded on the nature and instruments of the recent sedition in Iran and the duties of Iranians in the face of plots.

Ayatollah Khamenei stated that the president of the United States is deemed to be criminal for inflicting damages and casualties on and making accusations against the Iranian nation.

Referring to Islam’s enormous capacity to bring about a transformation akin to the early Islamic era in today’s human society and to convert societies afflicted by ignorance, oppression, coercion, fear, and arrogance into societies rich in virtue, salvation, and honor, Ayatollah Khamenei explained the dimensions of the recent sedition and the Islamic Republic’s positions against the planners and instigators of this American sedition.

Praising the nation’s historic movement on January 12, the Leader emphasized that the Iranian nation has broken the back of the sedition but must thoroughly recognize its nature, objectives, and the “trained” and “co-opted” actors behind it.

He described the nature of the recent sedition as American and, in explaining the main objective of the Americans in various plots, said that the continuous objective and policy of the United States—not only of its current president—was to swallow Iran and restore its military, political, and economic domination over the country, because a country of such extent, population, capabilities, and scientific and technological advances is intolerable for them.

The Leader noted that the level of Western officials’ interference in previous seditions had largely been limited to second-rate media and political figures, but the peculiarity of the recent sedition was that the American president personally intervened, spoke, threatened, and by encouraging the seditionists sent them a message to proceed, not to fear, and that they would receive military support.

Ayatollah Khamenei described the statements of the American president, who had called the rioters “the Iranian nation,” as a great slander against the nation, saying that the American president explicitly encouraged the rioters and, behind the scenes, the United States and the Zionist regime aided them. “Therefore, we consider the American president guilty, both for the casualties and damages and because of the accusation he leveled against the Iranian nation.”

Regarding the nature of the forces of the sedition on the field, the Leader explained that there were two groups of active actors on the scene: one group carefully selected by the American and Israeli espionage bodies, who, in addition to substantial money, had been trained in matters such as how to move, to set fires, to create fear, and to flee from the police.The Leader stated that the second group consisted of teenagers and young people influenced by the first group, adding that this group did not have direct connections with the Zionist regime or intelligence agencies, but were naive individuals whom the ringleaders influenced, and by creating excitement, they engaged in actions and mischief that they should not have committed.

Ayatollah Khamenei further noted that these were the infantry whose mission and targets were assaults on places, homes, offices, and industrial centers.

Unfortunately, the “foolish and ignorant” actors, led by the “wicked and trained” agents, carried out ill deeds and numerous crimes such as the destruction of 250 mosques, the destruction of more than 250 educational and scientific centers, and damage to power facilities, banks, medical complexes, and general stores, and by harming the people, killed thousands of them, the Leader deplored.

Referring to extraordinarily inhumane and barbaric acts such as confining and burning alive several young people in a mosque and killing a three-year-old girl and defenseless and innocent men and women, Ayatollah Khamenei remarked that these acts were part of the prearranged plan of the sedition. He said the culprits were equipped with both cold and warm weapons that had been imported from abroad and distributed among sedition elements to carry out such crimes.

Stressing that the Iranian nation has broken the sedition’s back, the Leader said that with its huge turnout on January 12, the Iranian nation turned that day into a historic day, delivered a strong blow to the mouths of arrogant claimants, and put the sedition to sleep.

Ayatollah Khamenei described the American defeat at the hands of the Iranian nation in the recent sedition as part of the ongoing defeat of the US and the Zionist regime in the 12-day war and said that they had launched this sedition with abundant preparations for greater deeds, which the nation subdued. “However, this is not enough and the United States must be held accountable for its actions,” the Leader stated.

He stated that the responsible institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are obliged to pursue the crimes of the US in recent times.

“We will not lead the country into war, but we will not abandon domestic criminals and, worse, international criminals; this matter must be pursued by appropriate methods and approaches,” Ayatollah Khamenei underlined.