'Time To Look For New Leadership': Trump Calls For End To 'Sick Man' Khamenei's Reign In Iran

Last Updated:January 17, 2026, 23:09 IST

Trump denounced Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, branding him a "sick man", and called for an end to his 37-year-old reign amid widespread protests.

Trump called Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a "sick man" responsible for the destruction of Iran. (Image: AP/File)

US President Donald Trump on Saturday called for an end to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s 37-year-old reign in Iran, saying it was time to look for new leadership after a wave of protests challenging the Islamic Republic prompted threats of an American military offensive.

“It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran," Trump told Politico, as widespread protests calling for an end to the regime appear to be waning. His remarks came after thousands of protesters across the country were killed over the last two weeks.

Trump had repeatedly threatened military intervention in support of the protesters, urging Iranians to keep protesting and “take over institutions" while “help is on the way". However, he struck a conciliatory tone on Wednesday, saying he had received assurances that the killings had stopped.

When asked about the size of a possible US operation in Iran, Trump said, “The best decision he ever made was not hanging more than 800 people two days ago."

Trump also personally denounced Khamenei and the Iranian system of governance. “The man is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people. His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership."

Khamenei Calls Trump A ‘Criminal’

Trump’s remarks came after Khamenei branded the US president a “criminal" for supporting protesters in Iran, blaming him for causing thousands of deaths. “We find the US President guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation," the Iranian Supreme Leader said, noting that Trump’s involvement escalated the situation.

“In this revolt, the US president made remarks in person, encouraged seditious people to go ahead and said: ‘We do support you, we do support you militarily,'" said Khamenei in a speech broadcast on state television. He reiterated an accusation that the U.S. seeks domination over Iran’s economic and political resources.

He also described the protesters as “foot soldiers" of the United States and said they had destroyed mosques and educational centres. “Through hurting people, they killed several thousand of them," he said.

After being read the posts, Trump said Iran’s rulers rely on oppression and violence to govern. “What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before," he said.

“In order to keep the country functioning — even though that function is a very low level — the leadership should focus on running his country properly, like I do with the United States, and not killing people by the thousands in order to keep control. Leadership is about respect, not fear and death."

The brutal crackdown by Iran’s security forceshas left at least 3,095 people dead, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, exceeding that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalling the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution.

According to Iran , at least 12,000 people have been killed in Iran in the largest killing in the country’s contemporary history, much of it carried out on January 8 and 9 during an ongoing internet shutdown. The killing was carried out on Khamenei’s direct order, and with an order for live fire issued by the Supreme Security Council, it reported.

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