"Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, warned on Sunday that any attack on the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would mean a declaration of war. In an apparent response to speculation that Donald Trump is considering an attempt to assassinate or remove Khamenei, Pezeshkian said in a post on X that an attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation."
"If there are hardship and constraints in the lives of the dear people of Iran, one of the main causes is the longstanding hostility and inhumane sanctions imposed by the US government and its allies,'' said Pezeshkian, whose words signalled that tensions between the two countries remained very much alive. Trump, in an interview with Politico Saturday, called for an end to Khamenei's nearly 40-year reign, calling him a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people."
Attacking Iran's supreme leader would constitute a declaration of war. Longstanding US hostility and sanctions were identified as major causes of Iranian hardship and unrest. Widespread protests began on 28 December over soaring inflation, a collapsing currency and economic hardship, quickly evolving into broad anti-government demonstrations demanding regime change. Authorities implemented a near-total shutdown of internet and phone services on 8 January to suppress communication and stifle independent reporting as violence escalated. Calls from former US president Donald Trump to end Khamenei's rule and to encourage protesters coincided with reports that the US nearly launched military strikes on Iran.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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