Iran's Khamenei Says Trump Is 'Criminal' For Inflicting Casualties, Damage On Iranians

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that Iran considers US President Donald Trump a "criminal" for inflicting casualties, damage, and slander on the Iranian people during the protests.

"The latest anti-Iran sedition was different in that the US President personally became involved," Iranian media quoted Khamenei as saying.

"We hold the American president guilty for the casualties, damages and accusations he has levelled against the Iranian nation," he told a crowd of supporters during an address marking a religious holiday.

"This was an American conspiracy," he said, adding that "America's goal is to swallow Iran... the goal is to put Iran back under military, political and economic domination".

Earlier, amid the Iran protests, Khamenei had called Trump "arrogant", asking him to focus on problems within the United States. He also said the US President would be overthrown like the imperial dynasty that ruled Iran up to the 1979 revolution.

Trump has issued multiple warnings to Iran's authorities, threatening to use military action if Iran killed protestors. The son of Iran's ousted shah, Reza Pahlavi, also repeatedly urged US intervention. Despite Trump's claims that "help was on the way" to Iranian people, he has so far held off acting.

Reports emerged on Thursday that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman led "a long, frantic, diplomatic last-minute effort to convince President Trump to give Iran a chance to show good intention".

However, Trump said that he "convinced himself" against striking Iran, claiming that this was due to Iran "cancelling 800 hangings" that had been scheduled.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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