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Iranians gather by blocking a street during a protest in Kermanshah, Iran, January 8, 2026.
Kamran | Afp | Getty Images
Iran’s supreme leader attacked anti-government protesters on Friday, calling them “vandals” acting in the name of the US president. Donald Trump by destroying public property.
In a national television broadcast, reported by Reuters, Ali Khamenei warned that Tehran would not tolerate “mercenaries for foreigners.”
“The Islamic Republic came to power thanks to the blood of hundreds of thousands of honorable people. It will not back down in the face of vandals,” Khamenei said.
His comments come Friday as the country of 92 million people finds itself largely cut off from the world, with authorities seeking to crack down on sprawling protests by cutting off the Internet.
The protests, which began at Tehran’s bazaar on December 28, have been fueled by growing frustrations over a long-running economic crisis, particularly the government’s handling of a sharp fall in the national currency and soaring prices.
The scale of the unrest makes it one of the most widespread protests in recent years, according to Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), with dozens of deaths and nearly 2,300 arrested or detained. HRANA, a U.S.-registered nonprofit, relies on a network of activists in Iran for its reporting.
Iranian leader Ali Khamenei comments on recent protests against the economic situation on Iranian state television in the capital Tehran, January 9, 2026.
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images
The protests have also renewed concerns about possible US intervention. Asset said last week, if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” then the United States “will come to their rescue.”
‘We’re locked, loaded and ready to go,’ Trump wrote in an article on Truth Social on January 2.
Advisor to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Larijani, reportedly responded that US interference in protests in Iran amounted to chaos across the region.
OPEC member Iran is a major player in the global oil market.
Oil prices were last seen moving higher as energy market participants continued to monitor concerns over disruption in Iran.
International reference Brent Crude futures for March delivery traded 0.9% higher at $62.52 a barrel on Friday, while West Texas Intermediate futures expiring February stood at $58.29, up 0.9% for the session.
— CNBC’s April Roach and Anniek Bao contributed to this report.
