Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has issued a stark warning aimed at US President Donald Trump, declaring that Trump, like the tyrants of history, will ultimately meet a downfall.In a post shared by Khamenei’s official account, the Iranian leader framed his message in sweeping historical and religious terms. “The US President who judges arrogantly about the whole world should know that tyrants & arrogant rulers of the world, such as Pharaoh, Nimrod, Mohammad Reza [Pahlavi] & other such rulers saw their downfall when they were at the peak of their hubris,” the post read. “He too will fall.”The statement draws a direct parallel between Trump and figures long portrayed in Islamic and Middle Eastern political discourse as symbols of despotism and overreach. .Among them is Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran, who was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought the current clerical regime to power. Also cited are Pharaoh and Nimrod, archetypal villains in religious tradition whose pride is said to have preceded their ruin.Khamenei’s remarks came as tensions between Washington and Tehran escalated sharply over mass anti-regime protests inside Iran. Returning to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump reiterated on Thursday that the United States would retaliate if Iranian authorities continued to violently suppress demonstrators who have been rallying across the country for nearly two weeks.“I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots… we’re going to hit them very hard,” Trump said in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt..Trump’s comments coincided with the largest protests yet, as Iranian authorities cut internet access nationwide and the reported death toll from the crackdown continued to rise. Rights groups said at least 45 protesters, including eight minors, have been killed since demonstrations began on December 28.When Hewitt noted that dozens had already been killed, Trump argued that some deaths were caused by stampedes rather than law enforcement actions. “I’m not sure I can necessarily hold somebody responsible for that,” he said, adding that Iranian leaders had been warned “very strongly… that if they do that, they’re going to have to pay hell.”Trump first issued a similar threat last Friday, saying that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States would “come to their rescue.”.Asked to send a message to demonstrators, Trump praised the protesters’ resolve. “You should feel strongly about freedom… You’re brave people. It’s a shame what’s happened to your country. Your country was a great country,” he said.The protests were further energized on Thursday by a call from exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi for Iranians to take to the streets. Thousands responded by shouting from their homes and gathering outside, marking the first major test of whether the Iranian public could rally around the son of the deposed shah.Demonstrations have included chants in support of the monarchy, a striking shift in a country where such expressions once carried the risk of execution. The slogans underline the depth of anger driving the unrest, which has been fueled by Iran’s collapsing economy..Trump, pressed on whether he would meet with Reza Pahlavi, said he would not do so at this time. “I’ve watched him, and he seems like a nice person, but I’m not sure that it would be appropriate at this point,” Trump said. “I think that we should let everybody go out there and we see who emerges.”US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also weighed in on Thursday, describing Iran’s situation as increasingly unstable. Speaking to the Economic Club of Minnesota, he pointed to soaring inflation, sanctions, and economic mismanagement. “The Iranian economy is on the ropes,” Bessent said, calling the moment “very precarious.”The current unrest is the largest wave of protests Iran has seen since 2022, when the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody sparked nationwide demonstrations. .Iran has faced repeated rounds of unrest in recent years, but the latest protests were triggered by the collapse of the rial, which plunged in December to roughly 1.4 million to the dollar following tightened sanctions and the country’s 12-day war with Israel in June 2025.Before the 1979 revolution, Iran’s currency traded at around 70 rials to the dollar. Even at the time of the 2015 nuclear deal, one dollar bought 32,000 rials. As the economy has deteriorated, shops across Iran have shuttered in solidarity with protesters.
