Khamenei Admits Thousands Killed in Protests, Blames Trump

Is Iran's regime collapsing and scapegoating America, or did the U.S. orchestrate sedition that Iran successfully defeated?

Published 4 hours ago

Khamenei Admits Thousands Killed in Protests, Blames Trump

story

Above: Ali Khamenei greets the crowd as he attends a program held in the capital Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 17, 2026. Image credit: Iranian Leader Press Office/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Spin

Anti-Iran narrative

Khamenei's regime is collapsing from within and desperately scapegoating America to distract from its own brutality. The Supreme Leader admitted thousands died in protests, yet refuses accountability, instead blaming foreign enemies without evidence while threatening further crackdowns. This is the language of a dictatorship losing control and preparing its population for confrontation rather than reform.

The Times of Israel

Iran Human Rights Documentation Center on X

Jim Ferguson on X

Pro-Iran narrative

America orchestrated sedition in Iran through direct planning and incitement, with Trump personally encouraging rioters and promising military support. Iran successfully defeated this foreign plot and extinguished the unrest that Washington and Tel Aviv designed to swallow the country. The real criminals are the international actors who hijacked peaceful protests into violent riots.

Ali Khamenei on X China Daily X