Trump calls for an end to Khamenei rule

WAR OF WORDS INTENSIFIES AFTER CONFLICTING SIGNALS FROM US

- BY STEPHEN N.R.

S President Donald Trump on Saturday openly called for an end to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s 37-year rule, escalating US rhetoric against Iran’s leadership even as nationwide protests appear to have waned following a deadly crackdown that rights groups say killed thousands.

“It's time to look for new leadership in Iran,” Trump told Politico, responding to a series of posts by Khamenei on X that accused him of being responsible for deaths during the unrest.

Trump’s remarks mark the latest — and sharpest — shift in tone over the past week, during which he has alternated between threatening military action, encouraging Iranian protesters to overthrow state institutions, and praising Tehran for what he claimed was a halt to mass executions.