‘Iran Will Not Tolerate…’: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Tells Trump To Focus On His Own Country, Warns Protesters

International

oi-Swastika Sruti

Iran’s
Supreme
Leader
Ayatollah
Ali
Khamenei
has
issued
a
strong
warning
against
ongoing
protests
across
the
country,
declaring
that
the
Islamic
Republic
will
not
back
down
in
the
face
of
unrest
or
foreign
pressure.

Speaking
on
state
television,
Khamenei
said
that
Iran
would
not
tolerate
people
who
“serve
foreigners” or
act
in
the
interest
of
other
nations.

“Everyone
should
know
that
the
Islamic
Republic
will
not
retreat,” Khamenei
said.
“It
will
not
tolerate
serving
foreigners.”
He
added
that
anyone
working
with
outside
forces
would
be
rejected
by
both
the
government
and
the
Iranian
people.

His
statement
came
at
a
time
of
growing
demonstrations
and
frustration
across
Iran.
Reports
of
an
internet
blackout
began
Thursday
and
continued
into
Friday,
cutting
off
communication
lines
nationwide.
The
government
blocked
major
online
platforms
and
international
calls,
making
it
harder
for
protesters
to
share
videos
or
organize
rallies.

Despite
this,
people
took
to
the
streets
in
Tehran
and
other
cities
following
calls
from
Reza
Pahlavi,
the
exiled
son
of
Iran’s
last
monarch,
who
urged
citizens
to
protest
against
the
country’s
leadership.
Online
clips
shared
by
activists
appeared
to
show
protesters
chanting
anti-government
slogans,
burning
debris,
and
lighting
bonfires.

Khamenei
earlier
accused
protesters
of
trying
to
“ruin
their
own
streets
to
make
the
president
of
another
country
happy,” referring
to
U.S.
President
Donald
Trump.
Iranian
state
media
also
accused
“terrorist
agents”
from
the
U.S.
and
Israel
of
inciting
violence
and
setting
fires.

According
to
the
Human
Rights
Activists
News
Agency,
at
least
34
protesters
and
four
security
officers
have
been
killed
so
far,
while
around
2,200
people
have
been
detained.
Analysts
say
the
unrest
reflects
deep
dissatisfaction
among
Iranians
over
economic
hardship,
corruption,
and
strict
social
control.

Women’s
Viral
Protest:
Burning
Khamenei’s
Photo

A
new
form
of
protest
has
caught
global
attention.
Videos
of
Iranian
women
burning
photographs
of
Khamenei
and
using
the
flames
to
light
their
cigarettes
are
spreading
rapidly
online.
The
act
combines
two
forbidden
gestures
–
disrespecting
the
Supreme
Leader
and
women
smoking
in
public
–
turning
it
into
a
symbol
of
defiance
against
Iran’s
leadership.

Under
Iran’s
strict
religious
rules,
burning
a
picture
of
the
Supreme
Leader
is
considered
a
serious
crime,
and
women
smoking
publicly
is
frowned
upon.
But
many
Iranian
women
are
now
using
this
act
to
show
they
are
no
longer
afraid.
Social
media
platforms
such
as
X,
Instagram,
and
Telegram
are
flooded
with
these
clips,
which
have
been
shared
thousands
of
times.

The
movement
comes
at
a
time
when
Iran’s
economy
is
collapsing.
The
rial
has
dropped
to
record
lows,
trading
above
1.4
million
to
the
U.S.
dollar
on
unofficial
markets.
Inflation
remains
above
40
percent,
and
the
prices
of
food,
medicine,
and
basic
goods
have
skyrocketed,
making
daily
life
increasingly
difficult.

Many
people
now
view
the
protests
as
a
desperate
call
for
freedom
and
dignity
rather
than
just
political
opposition.

Reports
of
a
Possible
“Moscow
Exit
Plan”

As
tensions
rise,
some
reports
claim
that
Ayatollah
Khamenei
might
be
preparing
a
contingency
plan
to
flee
Tehran
for
Moscow
if
the
situation
worsens.
According
to
these
unverified
accounts,
he
would
leave
with
about
20
close
aides
and
family
members,
including
his
son
and
potential
successor,
Mojtaba
Khamenei.

The
plan
would
reportedly
be
activated
if
the
Islamic
Revolutionary
Guard
Corps
(IRGC)
or
other
security
forces
refuse
to
continue
suppressing
protesters.
This
speculation
points
to
growing
concern
within
Iran’s
leadership
about
losing
control
of
the
country.

Unlike
earlier
waves
of
unrest,
today’s
protests
bring
several
crises
together
–
a
collapsing
economy,
exhausted
security
forces,
mounting
foreign
pressure,
and
open
competition
among
opposition
groups.

If
the
alleged
“Moscow
exit
plan” proves
true,
it
would
underline
how
serious
the
internal
turmoil
has
become.
For
now,
however,
Khamenei
insists
that
Iran
will
not
retreat,
even
as
the
voices
of
anger
on
its
streets
grow
louder
by
the
day.