At least 15 people dead in Iran as the Supreme Leader says rioters 'must be put in their place'
Iran's supreme leader insisted that "rioters must be put in their place" after a week of protests that have shaken the Islamic Republic
At least 15 have died since protests broke out in Iran over the country's struggling economy.
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Iran's supreme leader insisted that "rioters must be put in their place" after a week of protests that have shaken the Islamic Republic, likely giving security forces a green light to aggressively put down the demonstrations.
The first comments by 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei come as violence surrounding the demonstrations sparked by Iran's ailing economy has killed at least 15 people, according to human rights activists.
Shopkeepers in the capital Tehran went on strike over high prices and economic stagnation and the action has spread to other parts of the country.
The protests show no sign of stopping and follow US President Donald Trump's warning to Iran on Friday that if Tehran "violently kills peaceful protesters", the United States "will come to their rescue".
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While it remains unclear how and if Mr Trump will intervene, his comments sparked an immediate, angry response, with officials within the theocracy threatening to target American troops in the Mideast.
In the wake of Mr Trump's comments, Iran has warned the US that all of its bases and forces in the region will become "legitimate targets" if it intervenes in internal protests.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, wrote on X: "The devil's cry was raised because the efforts of armed field agents of the intelligence services to turn the legitimate protests of the bazaars and guilds into violent and armed urban battles failed."
He went on to label President Trump as "disrespectful" and said: "Iranians have always been united and determined to act in the face of an aggressor enemy."
Mr Ghalibaf added that "all American centers and forces across the entire region will be legitimate targets for us in response to any potential adventurism; Iranians have always been united and determined to act in the face of an aggressor enemy."
Mr Trump's comments also take on new importance after the President said on Saturday that the US military captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a longtime ally of Tehran.