Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Sunday that any attack targeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would be treated as a declaration of war, sharpening Tehran’s rhetoric amid rising domestic unrest and renewed verbal clashes with Washington.
“An attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation,” Pezeshkian said in a post on X.
Pezeshkian blamed Iran’s economic hardship on what he described as decades of hostility from the United States and its allies, citing sanctions as a central cause of rising living costs and public discontent.
“If the people of Iran face hardship and difficulties in their lives,” he said, “one of the main reasons is the longstanding enmity and inhumane sanctions imposed by the United States government.”
The remarks followed comments by US President Donald Trump in an interview with Politico, in which he referred to Khamenei as a “sick man,” called Iran the “worst place to live,” and said the country needed new leadership.
Khamenei, for his part, accused Trump on Saturday of being the “main culprit” behind casualties and damage linked to recent protests across Iran.
Protests erupt amid economic strain
Anti-government demonstrations erupted in Tehran late last month over a deteriorating economy and the sharp depreciation of the rial, before spreading to other cities.
The protests escalated on January 8, turning violent after the US-based son of Iran’s former monarch urged people to take to the streets against the government.
