Iran warns Trump not to take action against Khamenei

Iran Warns Trump Against Threatening Supreme Leader as Tensions Rise

Iran issued a stark warning to former U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, threatening severe consequences should he attempt any action against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The warning comes in response to Trump’s recent remarks calling for new leadership in the Islamic Republic.

“Trump knows that if any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we not only cut that hand but also we will set fire to their world,” declared Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, in a defiant statement that underscores the escalating tensions between the two nations.

The confrontation stems from Trump’s interview with Politico on Saturday, where he described Khamenei as “a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people,” adding that “it’s time to look for new leadership in Iran.” These comments have evidently struck a nerve in Tehran, where the 85-year-old Khamenei has held supreme authority since 1989.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have remained high since late December, when protests erupted across Iran over the country’s deteriorating economic conditions. Trump has established two red lines for the Islamic Republic – the killing of peaceful protesters and mass executions following the demonstrations.

Meanwhile, U.S. military movements in the region suggest preparation for potential escalation. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, recently spotted in the South China Sea, has now passed through the Strait of Malacca according to ship-tracking data. A U.S. Navy official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the carrier and three accompanying destroyers are heading west.

Though defense officials have not explicitly stated the carrier strike group is bound for the Middle East, its current trajectory in the Indian Ocean puts it just days away from the region. This strategic repositioning follows a pattern seen in recent years, including similar deployments in 2024 and last June when the USS Nimitz strike group was ordered to the area during periods of regional instability.

The human toll of Iran’s crackdown on protesters has reached alarming levels. According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 4,519 people have died in the protests – a figure that surpasses any other period of unrest in Iran in decades and evokes memories of the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution.

Information has been difficult to obtain since January 8, when the Iranian government imposed an internet shutdown across the country. The actual death toll may be significantly higher as more information emerges from areas with limited communication.

In a rare acknowledgment of the scale of casualties, Khamenei himself stated on Saturday that the protests had left “several thousand” people dead, though he placed blame on the United States for the violence.

The crackdown has also resulted in more than 26,300 arrests, according to HRANA. Human rights organizations fear many detainees may face execution in Iran, which already ranks among the world’s top executioners.

Iran’s national police chief, Gen. Ahmad Reza Radan, appeared on state television Monday offering limited leniency to protesters who surrender. “Those who were deceived by foreign intelligence services, and became their soldiers in practice, have a chance to turn themselves in,” Radan said. “In case of surrender, definitely there will be a reduction in punishment. They have three days to turn themselves in.”

Radan did not specify what would happen after the three-day window expired, leaving many to fear harsh punishments await those who don’t comply.

The current standoff represents one of the most significant challenges to Iran’s theocratic system since its establishment. As the USS Abraham Lincoln moves closer to the region and rhetoric intensifies on both sides, international observers worry that any miscalculation could trigger a broader conflict in an already volatile Middle East.