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Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday took a sharp jibe at US President Donald Trump for backing anti-government protests in Iran, telling him to "manage his own country" instead of commenting on Iran's internal affairs.
In a message posted on X, Khamenei accused the US President of encouraging unrest in Iran while failing to address serious problems at home. "The President of the United States declared that if the Iranian government did this or that, he would side with the rioters. The rioters have placed their hopes in him. If he is so competent, let him manage his own country then," Khamenei wrote. https://x.com/fr_Khamenei/status/2010283171502551390 Khamenei's remarks came after Trump said the United States was "ready to help" Iranian protesters, as demonstrations across the country entered their second week. Trump made the remarks in a post on Truth Social. Trump said, "Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!" The Supreme Leader's comments reflect growing tension between Tehran and Washington as protests spread across Iran. The unrest is now being seen as one of the most serious challenges to Khamenei's authority in recent years. Earlier, Khamenei also accused the US administration of being behind the large-scale protests in Iran. Speaking at a public interaction, Khamenei said protestors were acting to please the President of America. "There are also those whose work is destruction. Last night in Tehran, and in some other places, a bunch of vandals came and destroyed a building belonging to their own country. For example, suppose they destroyed a certain building or a wall, just to please the President of America. Because he said... some irrelevant nonsense... that "if the government of Iran does such and such, I will come to the side... I will take your side." The side of these rioters and individuals who are harmful to the country. These people have their hopes pinned on him. If he can, let him manage his own country! In his own country, various incidents are occurring," Khamenei was reported as saying by Iranian state media. Trump has repeatedly voiced support for Iranian protesters and has warned Iranian authorities against using force to suppress demonstrations. He has also threatened military action if protesters are killed, further escalating tensions between the two countries. While Trump has focused on developments in Iran, protests have also taken place within the United States. On Saturday, thousands of people marched through the streets of Minneapolis, protesting the killing of a woman by a federal immigration agent earlier this week. Protesters gathered outside federal buildings in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday (local time) evening as people took to the streets in cities across the US to demonstrate against immigration operations in the days after an ICE agent shot and killed a woman in Minnesota, as per CNN. Protesters on Alameda Street are said to be seen with upside-down American flags and handmade anti-ICE posters.The street was also the site of clashes between protesters and police in June last year, when crowds gathered to rally against immigration raids and US President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard, CNN reported. Police have blocked off the nearby intersection with squad cars and officers, and much of the crowd has dispersed, according to video reviewed by CNN. However, a small group of demonstrators appeared unyielding as police tried to usher them away from the buildings.The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) issued a dispersal order along the stretch of Alameda Street where protesters gathered. The department wrote on X on Saturday night, telling demonstrators, "You must leave the area." (ANI)
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