Iran President says any attack on Supreme Leader will be declaration of war: 5 points

IRANIAN President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Sunday that any “aggression against the Supreme Leader of our country is tantamount to all-out war against the Iranian nation.” In a post on X, Pezeshkian held the US and its allies responsible for people's hardships in Iran.

"If the people of Iran face hardship and difficulties in their lives, one of the main reasons for it is the longstanding enmity and inhumane sanctions imposed by the United States government and its allies," Pezeshkian said.

Here's the latest you need to know about Iran protests:

1. Iran's president warned on Sunday that any US strike would trigger a "harsh response" from Tehran. Pezeshkian on X warned that Tehran's response "to any unjust aggression will be harsh and regrettable," adding that any attack on Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is "tantamount to an all-out war against the nation".

2. Pezeshkian's comments came as US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to intervene if protesters continued to be killed on the streets or were executed. Trump had said in an interview with Politico on Saturday: "It's time to look for new leadership in Iran".

3. Reuters quoted an Iranian official in the region as saying that at least 5,000 people — including about 500 security personnel — had been killed in nationwide protests.

However, a new report from doctors on the ground, obtained by The Sunday Times, said that at least 16,500 protesters died and 3,30,000 were injured. The report also said most of the victims were believed to have been under the age of 30.

Meanwhile, US-based rights group HRANA said on Saturday the death toll had reached 3,308, with another 4,382 cases under review. It said it had confirmed more than 24,000 arrests.

4. Internet access was down again in Iran after a brief restoration of limited services, a monitor said on Sunday. "As of internet shutdown hour 240, traffic levels have fallen after a brief, heavily filtered restoration of select Google and messaging services in Iran," Netblocks said on X.

"During this time, some Iranians were able to give updates detailing the severity of the crisis on the ground," it added.

5. Former diplomat KP Fabian said on Sunday that Khamenei openly described Trump as a criminal, linking his remarks to widespread protests that erupted across Iran following sharp price increases.

He told ANI, “I heard what Khamenei said: he called Trump a criminal. Protests indeed broke out in Iran over rising prices after the United States imposed sanctions. These sanctions had been removed during Obama's time but were reinforced after Trump's comeback.”

Fabian added that the unrest came after the United States reimposed sanctions that had previously been lifted during Barack Obama's presidency but were reinstated after Trump's return to office.

Massive protests sparked last month in Tehran's Grand Bazaar over economic grievances, swiftly turned political and spread nationwide, drawing participants from across generations and income groups - shopkeepers, students, men and women, the poor and the well‑off - calling for the end of clerical rule.