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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a stark warning Sunday that any attack on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would constitute a declaration of war against Iran, escalating rhetoric amid renewed tensions with the United States.
"An attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation," Pezeshkian wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The statement came in response to comments from US President Donald Trump, who called Khamenei a "sick man" in an interview with Politico and suggested Iran needed new leadership, describing the country as "the worst place to live."
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Pezeshkian also addressed ongoing economic difficulties facing Iranian citizens, attributing them partly to external pressure. He said one of the main reasons Iranians face hardship "is the longstanding enmity and inhumane sanctions imposed by the United States government and its allies."
Iran has been under various US sanctions for decades, with measures intensifying in recent years targeting the country's oil exports, banking sector, and other industries. These sanctions have contributed to significant economic strain, including inflation and currency devaluation.
The exchange follows a Saturday statement from Khamenei accusing Trump of being the "main culprit" behind casualties and damage during recent anti-government protests across Iran.
Demonstrations erupted in Tehran late last month over deteriorating economic conditions and record depreciation of the rial, Iran's national currency. The protests subsequently spread to other cities nationwide.
On January 8, the demonstrations turned violent after the US-based son of a former Iranian monarch called on people to take to the streets against the government. The former monarchy, led by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought Iran's current theocratic system to power.
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