Attack on Khamenei means full-scale war: Pezeshkian

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that any attack on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be considered a ‘full-scale war’. He made the warning in a post on social media X on Sunday (January 18) local time.
The Iranian president said that any attack on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be considered a ‘declaration of full-scale war’ against Iran. At the same time, Pezeshkian said that long-standing US sanctions and hostility have also played a major role behind the bloody protests of the past two weeks. He said that the long-standing hostility and inhuman sanctions of the US government and its allies are the main reasons for Iran’s economic crisis.
Last Saturday (January 17), US President Donald Trump called for an end to the 37-year rule of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying, “It is time for Iran to find new leadership.” In an interview with the US newspaper Politico, Trump read several of Khamenei’s previous posts, in which he was blamed for the deaths of protesters in Iran. In response, Trump said, “It’s time for Iran to find new leadership.” Trump also said that the Iranian regime relies on repression and violence to survive. The crime he (Khamenei) has committed as the leader of a country is to push an entire country towards destruction and use violence on a scale never seen before. Instead of focusing on running the country, he is killing thousands of people to stay in power.
The protests that began in Iran in late December due to inflation, currency devaluation and an economic crisis quickly turned into an anti-government movement. The administration has shut down internet and phone connections during the ongoing protests. Netblock reported that partial access to some online services was restored yesterday.
Meanwhile, at least 5,000 people have been killed in protests across Iran, including about 500 members of the country’s security forces, an Iranian official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.