Khamenei says thousands killed in Iran protests and urges punishment of demonstrators

The Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has for the first time acknowledged that "thousands" of people were killed during the protests that rocked Iran over the last two weeks and called for strict punishment of protesters, according to a speech on Thursday. Khamenei said thousands had been killed, "some in an inhuman, savage manner", and blamed the US for the death toll.

He railed against US president Donald Trump, calling him a "criminal" for his support of demonstrations, and said: "By God’s grace, the Iranian nation must break the back of the seditionists just as it broke the back of the sedition." Iranian authorities also released footage they said showed armed individuals carrying guns and knives alongside regular protesters.

A senior cleric identified as Khatami demanded that "armed hypocrites should be put to death", described protesters as "butlers" and "soldiers" of Israel and the US, and claimed significant damage to places of worship and emergency services, including 350 mosques, 126 prayer halls, 20 other places of worship, 400 hospitals, 106 ambulances and 71 fire trucks.

Rights groups, citing the Human Rights Activists news agency, said more than 3,090 people had been killed, nearly 4,000 cases were still waiting review and more than 22,100 people had been arrested, raising fears of mistreatment of detainees.

Key Topics

World, Ali Khamenei, Iran Protests, Donald Trump, Khatami, Reza Pahlavi