In a speech marking Eid Mab’ath, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the United States of orchestrating the recent unrest and warned that Washington would be held accountable, even as he urged national unity and demanded greater economic performance from government officials.
Speaking on the anniversary of Prophet Muhammad’s first revelation, Khamenei framed the protests as part of a longstanding American strategy to undermine and ultimately “devour” the Islamic Republic. He argued that U.S. hostility is not tied to any single president but represents a consistent policy aimed at restoring dominance over Iran—militarily, politically, and economically. According to the Supreme Leader, the United States has been unable to accept Iran’s geographic position, population, and scientific progress, and therefore seeks to destabilize the country through engineered unrest.
Khamenei singled out the U.S. president’s direct involvement in the recent events as unprecedented, claiming that Washington moved beyond mere rhetorical support to actively encouraging rioters and promising “military support.” He accused the president of misrepresenting violent actors as the Iranian people, branding the claim a “great slander” against the nation. The Supreme Leader insisted that the United States and Israel provided documented assistance to those responsible for destruction, arson, and killings, and he vowed that such actions would not go unanswered.
Despite his condemnation of foreign interference, Khamenei portrayed the Iranian people as having successfully crushed the unrest. He described January 12 as a historic day comparable to the Revolution’s defining moment, celebrating millions who gathered in Tehran and across other cities to reject the violence. The Supreme Leader asserted that the nation “broke the back of the sedition,” and emphasized that the defeat of the unrest was part of a broader pattern in which Iran had thwarted American and Israeli aims, including during the 12-day conflict earlier this year.
Yet Khamenei was careful to say that victory in the streets is not sufficient. He demanded that Iranian institutions, particularly the Foreign Ministry, pursue accountability for what he called international crimes, while stressing that Iran is not seeking war. His message was clear: the state will pursue both domestic and international perpetrators with “correct methods,” but it will not ignore those it views as the true architects of unrest. He called on the nation to continue breaking the influence of what he termed “sedition-mongers,” signaling that Tehran intends to maintain pressure on perceived foreign adversaries.
At the same time, the Supreme Leader pressed for internal cohesion, warning against political factionalism and public criticism of state leaders during such sensitive times. He praised the presence of officials, including President Ebrahim Raisi, in the streets during the unrest, contrasting it with past episodes when officials were absent or even opposed to the public. Khamenei stressed that attacks on state figures, whether inside or outside parliament, were unacceptable, and he demanded that citizens and officials alike show appreciation for those who stood alongside the people during the crisis.
Khamenei issued a stern economic directive, acknowledging the severity of Iran’s domestic hardships. He urged government officials to work “twice as hard” to address the nation’s struggles, particularly in securing essential goods, food supplies, and livestock inputs. His message suggested that political unity must be matched by tangible improvements in daily life, signaling that the regime’s legitimacy depends not only on defeating unrest but on easing the burdens that fuel it.
