Iranians block a street during a protest in Kermanshah, Iran on January 8, 2026.
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Iran’s supreme leader on Friday criticized anti-government protesters as “vandals” acting on behalf of the US president. Donald Trump by destroying public property.
According to Reuters, in a broadcast on national television, Ali Khamenei warned that Tehran would not tolerate “mercenaries for foreigners”.
Khamenei said: “The Islamic Republic came to power through the blood of hundreds of thousands of honorable people. It will not back down from what it said before the vandals.”
His comments came as the country of 92 million people remained largely isolated from the world on Friday as authorities scrambled to quell the incident. widespread protests by turning off the internet.
The protests, which began on December 28 in Tehran’s bazaar, were fueled by growing discontent over the protracted economic crisis, particularly the government’s sharp devaluation of the national currency and price hikes.
The scale of the riots makes it one of the most widespread demonstrations in recent years, they say Information agency of human rights defenders (HRANA), dozens of people were killed and nearly 2,300 were arrested or detained. HRANA, a US-based non-profit organization, relies on a network of activists in Iran for its reporting.
Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei comments on recent protests against the economic situation on Iran’s state television in the capital Tehran on January 9, 2026.
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The protests also raised concerns about possible American intervention. Trump said Last week, if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters”, the US will “come to their aid”.
“We’re locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump said wrote in the post Jan. 2 at Truth Social.
According to reports, Ali Larijani, an adviser to Iran’s spiritual leader at the time, responded that US intervention in protests in Iran was tantamount to chaos in the entire region.
Iran, a member of OPEC, is a major player in the world oil market.
Oil prices were last traded higher as energy market participants continued to monitor concerns about disruptions in Iran.
International standard Brent Crude oil futures for March settlement rose 0.9% to $62.52 a barrel on Friday, while the U.S. West Texas Intermediate Futures for February settlement were up 0.9% for the session at $58.29.
— CNBC’s April Roach and Anniek Bao contributed to this report.