Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian appeared to threaten war against the United States or other nations that target Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amid widespread unrest that broke out in late December.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened action against the Iranian regime if it continues to murder protesters.
From The Hill:
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged foreign counterparts on Sunday not to direct aggression at Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as protests across Tehran and other provinces drew international concern.
“If the people of #Iran face hardship and difficulties in their lives, one of the main reasons for it is the longstanding enmity and inhumane sanctions imposed by the United States government and its allies,” Pezeshkian wrote in a post on the social platform X.
“Any aggression against the Supreme Leader of our country is tantamount to all-out war against the Iranian nation,” he added.
His comments follow days of criticism from President Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Union President Ursula von der Leyen. The three leaders have condemned the Islamic Republic’s approach to demonstrations by threatening protestors with violence.
Trump told Politico on Saturday, “It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran.”
Officials in Tehran have accused the president of undermining its leaders after vowing to back demonstrators and protect them from violence.
“The US President sent a message to the seditionists saying he would support them and provide military support,” Khamenei wrote in a Saturday statement.
“In other words, the US President himself was involved in the sedition. These are criminal acts,” he added.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is a surgeon turned politician who wears a modest quartz Citizen BF2011-01EC. Seen by some as reform minded, he has struggled to balance calls for moderation with unrest at home and an increasingly hardline system. pic.twitter.com/wAPlhRNa7E
— Watches of Espionage (@watchesofespion) January 19, 2026
Pezeshkian’s statements could be a reference to the United States’ decision to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month to force a regime change in the country.
The protests in Iran are still in full swing, with tens of thousands of Iranians piling into the streets to express their opposition to the current regime. The Iranian government has responded with brutal force in one of the bloodiest crackdowns in the nation’s recent history.
28-year-old Ghazal Aghaei Lindi, a nature photographer is among the more than 16,500 #Iranian protesters massacred by the security forces of #Iran’s Islamic regime. She was shot and killed by regime forces in the Qaleh Hassan Khan neighborhood of #Tehran on January 9, 2026.… pic.twitter.com/9rQ1VOXAGu
— Babak Taghvaee - The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) January 18, 2026
The death toll remains unclear because the regime has blocked internet access in the region. However, estimates range from several thousand to over 16,000 people killed by the government.
European and U.S. officials have indicated that the White House could begin airstrikes against the regime.
The article explains that Iran is experiencing mass protests that began over economic collapse and
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