Iran has defeated America: Khamenei

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran has defeated America by suppressing the ongoing violent protests in the country. Protests against high inflation and other economic problems began across Iran in late December, but soon turned into anti-government demonstrations, and thousands of people were killed in clashes, both security forces and protesters.
Tehran authorities announced that they had brought the situation under control, with peace returning to the country’s major cities. In a series of posts on X last Saturday (January 17), Khamenei accused the United States and Israel of being the masterminds of the unrest, while also identifying Washington as the main culprit.
Khamenei wrote that America had made extensive preparations to organize this betrayal. This betrayal was the beginning of a larger plan. The Iranian nation has defeated America. Khamenei insisted that Donald Trump himself was involved in this betrayal. He cited the US president’s promise to the protesters, “help is coming” and the deployment of American warships to the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported on Wednesday that a US attack on Iran was “imminent”. However, the attack ultimately did not take place, with Trump later saying the plan was scrapped after Iran backed down from executing protesters detained during the unrest.
Khamenei insisted that yes, we have put out the fire of violence, but that is not enough. The US must be held accountable. He added that the authorities in Tehran do not intend to push the country towards war. However, we will not spare criminals inside and outside Iran.
Meanwhile, in another report, Reuters claimed that a senior Iranian official told the agency that Tehran has warned its neighbors that if Washington attacks the Islamic Republic, they could become targets for US bases in the Middle East.