Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has addressed the public after protests in the country intensified sharply. In his statement, Khamenei targeted US President Donald Trump, describing him as “arrogant“ and claiming that his hands are “stained with blood” of the Iranians.
Khamenei also said that the US president would be “ousted“, and urged Trump to focus on the problems in his own country.
He accused the demonstrators of acting in the interests of foreign powers, saying that the protesters “are “destroying their own streets to please the president of another country“.
Earlier, Trump issued a warning to the Iranian leadership about the way it is handling the protests. “Iran has been told very categorically, even more categorically than I am telling you right now, that if they do this, they will have to pay a heavy price“, Trump said, referring to any violence against the demonstrators.
The US president also said that Khamenei is “looking for a way to escape“ and said the situation in Iran is "getting very bad".
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has a backup plan to escape the country in case security forces fail to quell the protests or he defected. This was reported a few days ago by The Times, citing intelligence data.
The 86-year-old Khamenei is planning to flee Tehran with his inner circle, which includes 20 aides and family members. This will happen if he sees that the army and security forces that were called to suppress the unrest are deserting, defecting to the enemy or not carrying out orders, the newspaper writes.
"This is "Plan B" for Khamenei and his very close circle of associates and family, including his son and designated successor Mojtaba".
Meanwhile, Benny Sabti, who worked for Israeli intelligence for decades after fleeing the regime, told the publication that Khamenei will flee to Moscow because "he has nowhere else to go". Khamenei also "admires Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Iranian culture is more similar to Russian".
The ayatollah's idea was largely formed after the escape of his ally – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power. He left Damascus for Moscow, where he reunited with his family on the eve of the opposition forces' assault on the Syrian capital in December 2024.