As nationwide protests in Iran enter a third week, U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is already preparing an exit plan should his regime’s hold on power weaken further.
“Khamenei is already looking for a way out. He’s looking to go some place—Russia or some place,” Trump stated, raising the possibility of Moscow offering sanctuary in the event of a collapse.
The protests, which have spread across all 31 Iranian provinces, represent one of the most significant challenges to the Islamic Republic in years. Demonstrators have taken to the streets chanting “death to the dictator,” with reports of at least 62 killed and over 2,300 detained since the unrest began.
In response, Iranian authorities have imposed a near-total internet and communications blackout, severely isolating the country. During his first televised address since the protests erupted, Khamenei blamed the United States for the turmoil, specifically pointing to Trump.
“Trump’s hands are stained with the blood of Iranians. This man said he ordered it and commanded it. So he confessed that his hands are stained with Iranian blood,” Khamenei said.
Trump responded with a stark warning: “In the past they’ve started shooting the hell out of people. Or they’ve taken them to prisons and hung them and killed them. I said if they do that we’re going to hit them hard, we’re ready to do it.”
International concern is mounting. The UK government has urged Tehran to “exercise restraint,” while former British security minister Tom Tugendhat suggested the regime’s fall now seems a matter of “when, not if.”
On the ground, protesters describe a brutal crackdown, with reports of live ammunition being used against crowds and wounded individuals being arrested from hospitals. As tensions escalate, Iran’s leadership faces a historic moment of reckoning, with the world watching closely to see whether the regime can survive the most sustained domestic challenge in decades.
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