Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran “will not give in to the enemy” in response to US President Donald Trump’s comments about coming to the aid of Iranian protests if they were fired upon. Khamenei also acknowledged the economic grievances driving the demonstrations but also warned against the “rioters.”In response to Trump, Khamenei said: “God willing and by divine grace, we will bring the enemy to his knees.” This came after Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday: “When Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, as they are wont to do, the United States of America will come to their aid.”In a speech marking the Shiite holiday, Khamenei acknowledged the protesters’ economic demands and said: “The president and senior officials are working on a solution.” “The shop owners have protested against this situation and that is completely fair,” he addedHowever, he also drew a sharp distinction between peaceful protest and unrest and warned that “rioters must be put in their place.”Last Sunday there were protests over rising prices and economic stagnation in the country hit by sanctions. They have since become violent and spread to more than two dozen cities. Protest gatherings of varying sizes have occurred in at least 25 cities, according to an AFP tally based on local media, but coverage remains limited and many social media videos cannot be independently verified.According to official figures, at least eight people have been killed in the unrest so far, including members of the security forces. The first deaths were reported on Thursday after clashes between protesters and authorities.On Saturday, Mehr news agency reported, citing the Revolutionary Guards, that Ali Azizi, a member of the paramilitary Basij force, was killed in the western city of Harsin “after being stabbed and shot during a gathering of armed rioters.”Separately, Tasnim news agency reported that a man was killed in the holy city of Qom when a grenade he was trying to use exploded “in his hands.”While the demonstrations began over economic difficulties, they increasingly took on political overtones, with some protesters chanting slogans against the ruling establishment.
