Iran’s Supreme Leader accuses Trump of orchestrating unrest in Iran

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the United States of organising the unrest in Iran, saying this was not merely an allegation.

Khamenei made the statement in a post on his X account, arguing that his claim is supported by remarks made by US President Donald Trump addressing the protesters, Caliber.Az reports.

When we say the sedition was orchestrated by the US, it isn’t merely a claim; what makes it clear that this movement was by the US are the remarks of the US President himself; he explicitly addressed these rioters and told them, “Keep going, keep going. I’m coming [to help]."

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) February 2, 2026

“He explicitly addressed these rioters and told them, ‘Keep going, keep going. I’m coming [to help],’” the Iranian leader wrote.

In an earlier post, Khamenei said the protests in Iran had been organised by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The recent sedition was orchestrated by Zionists & the US. I was informed through a certain channel that the CIA & Mossad deployed all of their resources into the field! Nevertheless, they were defeated. The sedition's plan was developed abroad, and it was managed from abroad.

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) February 2, 2026

Mass protests swept across Iran in late December 2025, driven by a deepening economic crisis marked by soaring inflation, a sharp collapse of the Iranian rial, and rapidly rising prices for food and basic necessities. 

The unrest initially began with shop closures and strikes in Tehran’s key commercial areas before quickly spreading to cities across the country.

While economic grievances sparked the demonstrations, they soon evolved into a broader political movement, with protesters chanting anti-regime slogans and calling for fundamental changes to the system of governance.

The authorities responded with a heavy-handed crackdown, deploying security forces, carrying out mass arrests, and imposing restrictions on communications. 

Human rights organisations reported that police and the Revolutionary Guard used lethal force against demonstrators in multiple cities.

The unrest has become the deadliest wave of protests in Iran since the 1979 revolution, leaving thousands dead, triggering widespread detentions, and prompting growing international concern over alleged human rights violations.

Regarding the situation, on January 28, US President Donald Trump announced that a ‘massive armada,’ led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and reportedly larger than the fleet sent to Venezuela, is heading toward Iran.

Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that any US military aggression against Iran would not stay a bilateral conflict and could escalate into a full-scale regional war.

By Jeyhun Aghazada