Through hurting people, they killed several thousand of them
In the long and turbulent dialogue between state power and the people it governs, Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei has chosen accusation over accountability, branding President Trump a criminal for supporting protesters while inverting the narrative of who bears responsibility for thousands of deaths. The speech, delivered on state television, marks the first official acknowledgment of the uprising's scale—even as the government denies culpability for a crackdown human rights groups call the deadliest in modern Iranian history. An uneasy quiet has settled over Tehran, where exhaustion, repression, and severed internet lines have, for now, stilled the streets.
- At least 3,090 people have been killed in Iran's crackdown—a death toll rivaling the chaos of the 1979 revolution—yet Khamenei publicly blamed the protesters themselves for the bloodshed, calling them foreign foot soldiers armed from abroad.
- Khamenei's televised rebuke of Trump as a 'criminal' came just one day after Trump softened his tone, praising Iran for canceling mass executions and signaling a possible retreat from earlier threats of military action.
- Iran's government-imposed internet blackout, which crippled banks and businesses for weeks, has begun to partially lift—though whether this signals a controlled reopening or simple economic necessity remains uncertain.
- Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi's call for renewed protests this weekend appears to have found no audience inside Iran, where repression, exhaustion, and isolation have drained the immediate momentum from the uprising.
- The current calm in Tehran—shops open, streets quiet, no visible protest activity—reads less like resolution and more like the fragile stillness that follows overwhelming force, leaving the deeper question of stability unanswered.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared on state television Saturday to denounce President Trump as a criminal, accusing him of backing the Iranian uprising with both words and what he characterized as material support. In the same address, Khamenei shifted blame for the wave of deaths onto the protesters themselves, describing them as American foot soldiers who had smuggled weapons into the country and destroyed mosques and schools. He spoke of 'several thousand' dead—the first time an Iranian leader had publicly acknowledged the scale of casualties—while framing those deaths as the result of the demonstrators' own violence rather than the government's response.
The speech arrived in an ironic moment: just a day earlier, Trump had struck a notably warmer tone, praising Iran for canceling the planned executions of more than 800 people and saying he 'greatly respected' the decision. Trump had previously threatened military action if the killings continued, telling protesters that 'help is on the way.' The rhetorical pivot suggested a possible softening of American pressure even as Khamenei was doubling down on accusations of foreign interference.
The human cost of the crackdown has been immense. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which relies on a verified network inside Iran, has documented at least 3,090 deaths—exceeding any previous episode of unrest in modern Iranian history and drawing comparisons to the upheaval of the 1979 revolution. Iranian officials have denied responsibility, consistently attributing the uprising to manipulation by the United States and Israel.
After weeks of brutal suppression, Iran has settled into an uneasy quiet. Shops have reopened in Tehran, street life has resumed a surface normalcy, and no organized protest activity has been visible for days. The government's internet blackout, imposed in early January, has begun to ease slightly—text messaging returned overnight and limited connectivity flickered back Saturday morning, though whether this reflects a deliberate policy shift or simply the economic pressure of banks and businesses unable to function remains unclear.
Iran's exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi issued a call for renewed demonstrations to run through the weekend, but the appeal appears to have gone unheeded. His support among monarchist exiles has never translated reliably into mobilization inside Iran, and by Saturday afternoon there was no sign his call had resonated. The combination of exhaustion, repression, and severed communication lines seems to have extinguished any immediate appetite for a return to the streets—leaving open the question of whether the current stillness is genuine stabilization or merely a pause.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took to state television on Saturday to deliver a pointed rebuke of President Trump, calling him a criminal for his public backing of the Iranian protesters and for what Khamenei characterized as military support for the uprising. In the same breath, Khamenei shifted blame for the bloodshed entirely onto the demonstrators themselves, claiming they had caused thousands of deaths through their actions.
The speech marked the first time an Iranian leader had publicly acknowledged the scale of casualties from the wave of unrest that erupted on December 28. Khamenei spoke of "several thousand" dead, though he framed them as victims of the protesters' own violence rather than the government's response. He described the demonstrators as foot soldiers working on behalf of the United States, accused them of destroying mosques and educational centers, and alleged they had been armed with ammunition smuggled from abroad. "Through hurting people, they killed several thousand of them," he said, inverting the narrative of who bore responsibility for the bloodshed.
Khamenei's remarks came just a day after Trump had struck a notably softer tone, praising Iran for canceling planned executions of over 800 people and saying he "greatly respected" that decision. Trump had previously signaled potential military action if the killings continued, telling Iranian protesters that "help is on the way" and that his administration would "act accordingly" in response to further violence. The shift in Trump's rhetoric suggested a possible retreat from military threats, even as Khamenei was doubling down on accusations of American interference.
The human toll from the crackdown has been staggering. According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 3,090 people have been killed—a death toll that exceeds any previous round of unrest in Iran in recent decades and rivals the chaos of the 1979 revolution itself. The agency, which maintains a network of activists inside Iran to verify reported deaths, has proven reliable in past documentation of casualties. The Associated Press has been unable to independently confirm the figure, but the scale is undisputed: this has been the deadliest suppression of dissent in modern Iranian history.
After weeks of brutal repression, Iran has settled into what observers describe as an uneasy calm. In Tehran, shops have reopened and street life has returned to apparent normalcy. There have been no visible signs of organized protest activity for days. The government's internet blackout, imposed on January 8, has begun to crack slightly—text messaging resumed overnight, and limited internet access flickered back on Saturday morning, though the extent and purpose of the restoration remained unclear. It was possible authorities were simply restoring connectivity for the start of the working week, given the damage the blackout had inflicted on banks and businesses trying to process transactions.
Meanwhile, Iran's exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose father was toppled by the 1979 Islamic Revolution, issued a call for renewed protests to begin Saturday and continue through Monday. The appeal appears to have fallen flat. Pahlavi, who maintains support among monarchist exiles but has struggled to gain traction within Iran itself, has positioned himself as a potential transitional leader should the government collapse. But by Saturday afternoon, there was no sign that his call had resonated with Iranians on the ground. The government's repression, combined with internet restrictions and the sheer exhaustion of weeks of bloodshed, seems to have dampened any immediate appetite for a return to the streets.
Iranian officials have consistently blamed the United States and Israel for fomenting the unrest, a charge they reiterated in conversations with Russian leaders. Khamenei's Saturday speech reinforced that narrative while simultaneously denying any responsibility for the deaths—a rhetorical stance that frames the government as a victim of foreign manipulation rather than the architect of a deadly crackdown. What remains unclear is whether the current quiet represents genuine stabilization or merely the eye of a storm.
Citas Notables
We do consider the U.S. president a criminal, because of casualties and damages, because of accusations against the Iranian nation.— Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Iran canceled the hanging of over 800 people. I greatly respect the fact that they canceled.— President Donald Trump
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
When Khamenei says the protesters killed thousands of people, what does he mean? How does that work?
He's claiming the demonstrators themselves caused the deaths—through the chaos they created, the destruction, the violence. It's a complete inversion of what happened. The government's security forces did the killing, but he's blaming the people who were in the streets.
And Trump's role in this—what exactly did he do that Khamenei is responding to?
Trump made public statements of support. He told protesters "help is on the way." He suggested military action might follow if the killing continued. That gave Khamenei something concrete to point to when he accused the U.S. of orchestrating the whole thing.
But Trump just praised Iran for canceling executions. Doesn't that undercut Khamenei's argument?
It does, which is probably why Khamenei needed to speak up now. Trump was backing away from confrontation, and Khamenei needed to reassert control of the narrative—to make clear that Iran doesn't respond to American pressure, that the U.S. is the aggressor here.
Three thousand people dead. Is that number reliable?
The human rights group tracking it has been accurate for years. They have activists inside Iran confirming each death. The AP can't independently verify it, but the scale is real. This is the deadliest crackdown in decades.
Why did the internet come back on?
Nobody knows for certain. It could be practical—banks need to function, the working week was starting. Or it could be a sign the government feels stable enough to risk it. Either way, it's a small opening after total blackout.
What about the exiled prince calling for more protests?
He has no real power inside Iran. Monarchists abroad support him, but ordinary Iranians? He's a symbol of the old regime. After three thousand deaths and weeks of fear, his call for more protests just didn't land.